by Elizabeth Haarberg

Jesus Is Our Daily Bread

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link

How do we get our Daily Bread? Sometimes we need to give something away to receive the ‘bread.’ In 1 Peter 5:7 we see we need to hand over our worries to receive the peace that only God can give us.

“…casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” English Standard Version

“Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.” Passion Translation

“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” AMPC

I included multiple versions of this verse due to the familiar idea of “give it to Jesus,” it could be taken casually and we may need to hear it a different way. The familiar can be taken for granted if we don’t absorb it.

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35

I highlighted the action words from the verse above. There is an action on our part, such as to cast, pour, come, believe. God asks us to move toward Him and open our hearts to Him. He’s always been present with us; he’s just waiting for us. God knows that the best thing for us is to turn toward Him, dump all our garbage at His feet, and receive all He has waiting for us.

I don’t want to confuse this idea of ‘action’ with working for our salvation. He died on the cross for the whole world. But to become more like Jesus and increase in relationship with Him, He requests that we “come” to Him and “believe” in Him. That’s our part.

He is the bread of life and the living water. All that’s asked to complete our piece of the puzzle is to lay down our worries and taste and see that God is good, an action accomplished through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. This is How we become more like Jesus, by letting Him be our bread on a daily basis.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado