"The Bread Of Life"

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee n the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                                                   "I am the bread of life."  John  6:48

     Jesus did not say,  "I am the 'filet mignon' of life,"  or  "I am the 'caviar' of life,"  for these delicate foods only the favored few can enjoy.  How thankful we are that He is bread - the poor man's staff of life.  There are many foods which are available only to a few, because of cost or because of their seasonable nature or scarcity.  But bread is the universal food of mankind.  It is found on every table - rich and poor - king and peasant.  whether it is made of wheat or corn or rye, oats or rice, it is bread, the cheapest and most nourishing food.  The word "bread" is defined by Webster as "food made from ground grain; food in general."  Bread represents all the elements of food needed to sustain life.

     Jesus is the "bread of life."  In Him are all the elements needed for a healthy, growing spiritual life.  He is within reach of all, His blessings are free.  The manna fell from heaven - all the Israelite needed to do was gather and eat it.  It was good for young and old.  It was a complete food.

     Charles H. Spurgeon has aptly said,  "I bless God that He gave us not a classical gospel, or a mathematical gospel, or a metaphysical gospel, or a gospel confined to scholars or men of genius, but a poor man's gospel, a ploughman's gospel, for that is the kind of Gospel we can live and die upon.  It is to us not the luxury of refinement but the staple bread of life.  We want not fine words when the heart is heavy, nor deep problems when facing eternity.  Jesus manifest in the flesh is our bread of life, Jesus bleeding on the cross a substitute for sinners is our soul's drink.  This is the Gospel for babes, and strong men want no more."  Yes, we thank God, Jesus did not say,  "I am the cake" - but rather,  "I am the bread of life."  It is free to all - good for all - sufficient for all!

"Bread For Each Day"

Can You Take Criticism?

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven."  Matthew  5:11-12

     How are you at making enemies?  No, I did not ask,  How are you at making friends?  That is easy.  Just be a good Joe, an easy spender, a tolerant sort of fellow who never offends anyone.  Solomon wisely says,  ". . . the rich hath many friends"  (Proverbs 14:20).  And again he says,  "Wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is separated from his neighbor"  (Proverbs 19:4).  Yes, you can have lots of friends if you are willing to pay them for it. And again we read,  "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men"  (Proverbs  18:16).  Yes, there are many ways of making friends.

     But how good are you at making enemies?  If you are a child of God and you can move among wicked, ungodly, cursing men and women today, and not be different enough to incur their disfavor or even reviling, you certainly are not much of a testimony.  Do you just silently endure taking the Lord's name in vain for fear of jeering?  Do you take "just a nip" because you fear ridicule?  Do you dread criticism for your faith in Christ?  Are you ashamed of Him for fear of losing friends?  I would rather make enemies for Jesus's sake than make friends for my own comfort's sake.

     In the thousands of letters we receive each week we have both letters of appreciation from our listeners, and also many of criticism and condemnation.  I can honestly say that I appreciate the "critical" letters (some of them unprintable) as much as any others for it confirms the Gospel I preach ) - that it's a two-edged sword cutting both ways:  a savor of life - and a savor of death  (2 Corinthians  2:16).

"Bread For Each Day"