Are we lonely?

Are we forsaken?

Are we burdened with a heaviness?

Are we left undone?

Are we surrounded by humanity yet feel as if we are walking our valley alone?

The devil is patient, waiting for “an opportune time” to tempt us.

TRUST GOD!

TRUST HIS PROMISES!

BECOME HUNGRY, FEASTING ON THE BREAD OF LIFE!

SINK DEEP WITHIN HIS CARE!

Yesterday at the Ladies on Mission meeting, after we finished, after Paula spoke of her missionary journey, and after we read aloud our missionary prayer calendar—we spoke about an upcoming funeral dinner.  There would be a church-provided time after the funeral and burial for the family to sit together, to talk, & to break bread—together.

I sat beside the one with the menu, looking for what it was I could contribute to the meal.

• Meat—Check.  One of my sisters was bringing meatloaf.
• Vegetables—Check.  Several names were listed, offering to prepare the variety needed.
• Desserts—Check.  Thank goodness they were already there on the list since that was not my specialty.

What was not listed?

BREAD!

Nowhere on the list did I notice someone signed up to bring bread, so I gladly asked, “Can I bring some bread on Wednesday to the funeral dinner?”

If you know me, then you know I have a weakness for a certain food group.  When I was a child, my brother and I would play hard and often become famished.  So, we would take time to run through the back door, turning left into our Indiana kitchen, searching for food.  Now, I do not recall what Ron would eat, and truthfully, I really did not care because at the time, I only cared about WHAT I WAS GOING TO EAT—BREAD!

Every time it was the same snack for me.

No wavering.

Bread always satisfied my stomach, my desire, my want, my hunger; however, my physical hunger was never FULLY satiated because an hour of play would pass by, and once again, I found myself racing through the kitchen for another two slices of bread.

In studying about the early church, I have become fascinated with the way they were unified.  In one day’s time, they grew from 120 in number to 3, 120, and still they were able to keep the unity they enjoyed when they were a small 120 in number.

How did they do that?

• They were devoted to one another.
• They shared time together, daily.
• They studied and were taught together.
• They fellowshipped together, meaning—
• They ate together, going from house to house, sharing one another’s table.
• They prayed together.
• They grew spiritually.

We cannot mature in our faith without—

Devoting ourselves to God’s Word.

That’s right.

We need the BREAD of LIFE!

Neither can we mature apart from—

Christian fellowship.

That’s right.

We need our Christian brothers and sisters.

Intentionally learning God’s Word, fellowshipping, & praying together will mature our faith because without other believers, we can become spiritually famished. Nevertheless, the question remains:

Are We Hungry Enough?

Thus, yesterday, when I looked down the list of food items being brought and found myself wondering:  “Is not bread needed?”

Today, as I read the historical facts about the early church, the congregation that the apostle Peter stood and addressed, I find myself drawn to this truth—

They Grew Stronger Spiritually Because They Were Devoted to One Another, to prayer, to fellowship, to the disciples’ teaching & studying God’s Daily Bread.

We will face the devil today.  It’s a fact.  How do we know?  The Bible tells us so!  We read, seeing how Jesus faced the devil right after He was baptized.  Jesus reveals to us—

Although we are God’s children, filled with the Holy Spirit, we can still become tempted by the devil because Satan has one goal for God’s children—to destroy our testimony, our witness.

In the Bible, we see how Jesus fasted for forty days and became famished.  Satan knew this fact and decided to use Jesus’ hunger to tempt the Savior.  Over and Over—three times, Satan tempted Jesus & continually Jesus responded, faithfully demonstrating to us (His followers) how we too must respond when we are tempted to leave what we know to be GOD’S TRUTH and follow the lies of Satan.

When we are tempted by Satan, we must respond like Jesus taught us—Jesus said, “It is written: . . .”

We must be daily in God’s Word if we are to know what is written.

So, I wonder: Are We Hungry Enough?

Are We Daily in God’s Holy Word—studying, memorizing, and hiding it within our hearts?

Let us love the Word of God.

• The Word of God is given to us to work within us.
• The Word of God can be read, sung, recited, chanted, whispered, or shouted.
• The Word of God is the only ‘RIGHT’ because it is lovely & pure.
• The Word of God is not the pocketknife we carry in our pocket BECAUSE the Bible is much stronger.
• The Word of God is the “sword of the Spirit” with which we fight the devil.

May we sink our teeth into God’s Word, allowing His Word to permeate our heart, trusting His promises, filling us completely, satisfying our hungry soul.

May we repeat again tomorrow & every tomorrow God gives us to live, feasting on the BREAD of LIFE for our lifetime, never straying from our Lord’s Table.

Many may ask:  Why?

• Are we not just saved once, knowing that we are good to go?  OR  Are we saved daily from our own human sinfulness?
• Why must we stay connected and unified within the body of Christ—the church?
• Why must we study together, pray together, eat together & fellowship together?
• Why must we study God’s Word daily?

We only need to return to the early church, to the first sermon the apostle Peter stood to preach—to be reminded.