CHRIST JESUS, Our Daily Bread

"Give us this day our daily bread." -Matthew 6:11 [KJV] 

 

Happiness, that inestimable jewel, springs only from content. Christian content is founded in humility. The humble Christian lives upon the fulness of God. Thence he seeks all His supplies. Our Lord not only teaches His disciples the words of prayer, which any one may use, but also gives the Spirit of prayer, which is peculiar to disciples only. This consists, in knowing our wants. In seeking a supply of them from the Lord. Give us this day: just from hand to mouth: daily bread, all the blessings of providence and grace, needful for us, as men and Christians. 

(1st.) Do we know our own wants? The sight and sense of these will make and keep us very low and humble in our own eyes; for we shall go out of ourselves, and live out of ourselves. Do we want daily bread to support our bodies? Have we no source of life in ourselves, but what must be fed and nourished from the food we receive from day to day? Just so it is with our souls. Christ saith, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48.) We have no inherent stock of spiritual food in ourselves. The man who thinks so, is as foolish as he would be, who should say, he has a supply within himself for natural food; he needs not pray for it. 

(2d.) Do we seek supply from our Lord? He says, “Blessed are they who hunger” (Matthew 5:6.) Their blessedness consists, in coming empty to Him, to be filled. Give us. Dear Lord, I am just the same hopeless, helpless, miserable sinner in myself, as I was when I first heard of Thee, and came unto Thee. 

(3d.) Give me this day my daily bread: Thy flesh to eat, and Thy blood to drink. Thy flesh is meat indeed; Thy blood is drink indeed (John 6:55.) Lord, Thou hast said, “He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me” (verse 57.) O that, in feeding on Thee by faith, I may know that I have eternal life, and that Thou wilt raise me up at the last day. This feeding is far more preferable than disputing. True, we are exhorted to contend earnestly for the faith. But then it should be with a desire that our own souls, and the souls of others, may be edified, fed, and nourished, by the faith of Jesus; else, it is but vain jangling. 

Who would not contend for his natural food? How jealous, how watchful should we be against every enemy, who would prevent our comfortable feeding upon Christ, the Bread of Life! The more we feed upon this bread, the less appetite we have to the pleasures of this world, and the vanities of sense. Our spiritual food transforms us into the image of our Lord, and causes us to aspire after Him, and long to be with Him. Precious promise! Jesus shall feed His flock like a shepherd. See Isaiah 40:11. 

 

Jesus, Who art the Bread of Life, 

O feed our souls this day! 

And grant us to grow strong in Thee, 

To run the heav’nly way.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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