Living by Every Word

I have a friend whom I love deeply. She is on a medically supervised weight loss program that is going to help her live much longer. However, there are moments when emotionally she feels like she would do almost anything just to have a chunk of fresh bread to munch down.

Do you remember the last time you walked into a place where fresh bread had been baking and was just coming out of the oven ? Or perhaps you dropped into a Great Harvest Bread Company store where they offer the free samples of their fresh breads. It reminds you that some people eat so they can live; others seem to live just so they can eat.

But Jesus defends Himself with a simple concept. Man does not live by bread but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. For a man who has gone without eating for about six weeks, this is a rather amazing idea. In His view, hearing the Father speak to him personally was still more essential to life than chewing on a bit of fresh tasty bread.

Notice: Jesus had someone with Him at the time who was quoting Scripture to Him. Jesus (about age 30) was Himself well educated about the contents of the Old Testament Scriptures. But, His defense was not based on knowledge of the Scriptures. It was based on the importance to Him of hearing Father's voice personally, moment by moment as He walked through life.

If hearing Papa was that important to Jesus when He was nearly starving how important is it to us ?

It is tragically common to choose putting on a headset to fill our minds with noise; listening to an inspiring speaker tell what he thinks God is saying; or, reading some passage of Scripture as a substitute for simply becoming still and quiet so we hear what Father God has to say.

I recommend you feast today on every word that is coming from Papa's mouth.

His, thus Yours,

Stuart