Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Wednesday, 9 July 2014 "Give us this day our daily bread"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Wednesday, 9 July 2014 "Give us this day our daily bread"
Daily Scripture:  Isaiah 55: Buy Without Money
1-5 “Hey there! All who are thirsty,
    come to the water!
Are you penniless?
    Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
    Buy without money—everything’s free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
    your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
    fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
    listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
    the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.
I set him up as a witness to the nations,
    made him a prince and leader of the nations,
And now I’m doing it to you:
    You’ll summon nations you’ve never heard of,
and nations who’ve never heard of you
    will come running to you
Because of me, your God,
    because The Holy of Israel has honored you.”
6-7 Seek God while he’s here to be found,
    pray to him while he’s close at hand.
Let the wicked abandon their way of life
    and the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful,
    come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.
Matthew 5:6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
Reflection Questions:
Jesus faced the temptation to turn stones into bread, to meet his immediate physical want no matter the spiritual cost. In answer, he quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, which was about Israel's wilderness experience with manna (cf. Exodus 16:14-21): "People don't live on bread alone. No, they live based on whatever the Lord says." That story clearly lay behind this part of the Lord's Prayer. We do not ask for a lifetime supply of bread—just what we need for this day.
Jesus' prayer taught that we trust God daily. We don't wait for one of life's sporadic crises to pop up, nor do we think of ourselves as "spiritually stocked up." In what ways have you, or do you want to, make it a part of your daily routine to commit yourself and your concerns to God? What particular needs or concerns can you entrust to God's wise, caring provision this day?
As we walk with God, we look beyond the limits of physical reality when we "hunger and thirst for righteousness." What are some of the actions or attitudes in your life that, over time, you have found "are not bread," that do not satisfy? What choices can you make that whet your spiritual appetite, and lead you to "hunger and thirst after righteousness"?
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, there's a simple praise song that says, "You are my daily bread….and I, I'm desperate for you." Help me to hunger for you as much or more as I hunger for a meal after a long stretch of hard work. Amen.
Insight from Taylor Winkler
Taylor Winkler is serving as a summer intern in Guest Services and Women’s Ministries at The Church of the Resurrection. She’s also psyched to start her junior year at Baker University this fall.
I’ve always been hungry. Mostly for chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches, but also for a better existence. They’re basically the same thing, right? No? Well, in any case, I’m on a quest for both, and enjoy varying degrees of success. As I grow older, and become more independent, the desire to better myself only intensifies. The hunger for a purpose and a sense of meaning grows stronger, and I find myself constantly searching for satisfaction in all the wrong places, even though the answer is right there in that little book my pastor keeps referencing.
Yet I constantly seem to forget about that little book and all its sacred promises. Instead, I conclude that if I can just tweak some specific aspect of my life, if I can just clear this big hurdle, if I can just master that one skill, I know that this time it will unlock the secret to life’s happiness. All I need is the right food, the right look, the right talents, the right decor, the right major, the right classes, the right friends, the right knowledge, the right connections, the right relationships, the right experiences, the right life…..
John 6:35 – “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” It seems simple enough, and Jesus sounds like the kind of guy who knew what He was talking about. Then why don’t I put his commandment into practice? Why don’t I take God’s words into my heart and trust him as my one true source of purpose and meaning? Why do I feel the need to use superficial means to attain that ever elusive happiness? Perhaps because it’s easier to have faith in tangible, visible changes than it is to have faith in intangible changes made by an invisible God. Or maybe because I want control over my own happiness, and don’t want to rely on God to supply my daily bread.
Whatever the reason, my efforts are still in vain. If you are like me, and you keep trying to satisfy your hunger with anything but Jesus, know that you are consuming spoiled ingredients and empty calories that will leave you with a constant craving. That craving can only be satiated by Jesus. Hunger after His teachings. Thirst for knowledge that comes from His word. Put Him first in all things, and trust that He will give your life meaning and joy. If you give your life over to Him, He’ll make you an ice-cream sandwich that truly satisfies.
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