FRESH BREAD IS MEANT TO BE SHARED
Fresh Bread is Meant to be Shared.
For years living in the US, I bought bread from the grocery store prepackaged and
pre-sliced. We could keep it on the shelf for a couple weeks without mold. Sometimes it
got eaten before it went bad. Sometimes it didn't. Any uneaten bread eventually became
stale or moldy, and it went into the trash.
When we moved to England I bought a similar type of bread, prepackaged and
pre-sliced. It looked like what I was used to buying in the US. To my great surprise it was
very different. The taste was flavorful and the texture light. It seemed fresher than I was
used to getting at a grocery store. And indeed, it was, because this bread did not last for weeks on the counter. It only lasted a couple of days before it started getting moldy.
I came to learn that England has stricter requirements of their food than the US. They do not allow a lot of the chemicals and preservatives we commonly use. Nutritional value decreases over time as the nutrients in the bread break down due to exposure to air
and bacteria. The chemical s can keep it from molding longer but cannot hold the
nutritional value in. It tasted better and was more nutritious because it was still fresh.
Interesting right?! Even more interesting is the fact that Jesus called Himself the Bread
of Life.
"Then Jesus declared, "I AM the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to ME will never go
hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty." John 6:35 (emphasis added)
Jesus is the source of life and nourishment for our souls. We cannot live on the low
nutritional value of the prepackaged messages that someone else processed and have been generalized for the masses. We cannot have strong healthy souls if we are relying on last week's message to sustain us, or last year's testimony to nourish us today.
Jesus is our source of fresh bread. We receive Him through salvation. But we continue
receiving from Him through the Scriptures (the Word of God) and our personal
relationship with Jesus Himself (The Word became flesh, John 1:1-14).
"Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11
In England I had to go to the store more often to get fresh bread. It took more time, but
the investment in our health was worth it. So, it is with Jesus. Go to Him more often.
Read His Word. Then ask Him what He wants you to know or understand. Receive a
fresh word from Him. Experience His love, wisdom, teaching, encouragement,
correction, forgiveness and so much more. This will give you fresh daily bread to
nourish and strengthen your soul. Then share it with someone to encourage them and
point them to Jesus the Bread of Life.
Because everyone knows fresh bread is meant to be shared.
