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NOT BY BREAD ALONE (DEUTERONOMY 8:1-3).

REFLECTION

“Not by bread alone” is the theme for our reflection. Literally, bread is food made of flour, water, and yeast mixed together and baked. In the Bible, bread is the metaphor or symbol of nourishment. Not by bread alone means that we should not only focus on physical nourishment. We shall reflect on the fact that while the physical bread or food gives our bodies nourishment, the Word of God gives our Spirits eternal nourishment and satisfaction.

Beloved in the Lord, food or bread only nourishes our mortal bodies but the Word of God which is Spiritual bread nourishes our Spirit with eternal life. It is for this reason Moses reminded the Israelites of their divine obligation, “Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:1-3) In other words, God promised to nourish the Israelites both physically and spiritually, however, He warns them to desist from focusing only on the physical needs of the body without paying attention to the more important needs of the Spirit since the body is mortal but the spirit is immortal. Our relationship with God does not end on this earth but is eternal. It takes obedience to God’s Word as a sign of faith to have everlasting salvation and relationship with God.

Gratifying the desires of the flesh or pursuing bodily nourishment over our spiritual nourishment, has led many people into temptation and destruction. Many people including nominal Christians have neglected their spiritual obligation and have become solely dependent or fixated on the needs or nourishment of their bodies to the detriment of their salvation or spiritual lives. Jesus is our perfect example when it comes to spiritual nourishment or putting Deuteronomy 8:3 into practice. “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:2-4). Beloved in the Lord, the tempter or Satan knows our weaknesses and canal desires therefore we must be on guard by always praying and feeding on the Word of God so that our spirits will be well nourished to please God. Let us focus on our eternal life through the nourishment of our Spirit with the Word of God even as we pray and yearn for our daily bread which is being provided by our Father who is in heaven. Let us stop giving excuses with our work and businesses and begin to have time for nourishment and growth of our Spirit. Make a vow today or renew your Spiritual commitment to God today by living a life of feeding daily on the Word of God. When we feed on the Word of God as our living bread, we gain divine wisdom, overcome temptation, and become good examples to others since we are reflecting the perfect image of Christ. When we are spiritually nourished through the Word of God, cravings for bread or physical food and other fleshly desires will completely be subdued or brought under the control of the Spirit. Our bodies will become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit even as we live a life that is pleasing to God.

In summary, we have discovered that while the physical bread or food gives our bodies nourishment, the Word of God gives our Spirits eternal nourishment and satisfaction, therefore we must focus more on that which is eternal or everlasting and pleasing to God. Shalom

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, strengthen us to study and obey the Word of God to overcome the temptations and gravings of the flesh. May we live our lives to please by not focusing on bread alone. Amen.