BEYOND food

 

The LORD JESUS said:

Matthew 4:4

King James Version

4 But he answered and said, 

It is written, 

Man shall not live by bread alone, 

but by every word that proceedeth 

out of the mouth of God.

The world drowns in food.

It's impossible for anyone to go hungry, if our hearts be in the right place, alongside Christ's.

Where many nations throw away food unthinkingly, other nations would be lucky if it's thrown their way.

Before becoming born again, I've always believed no one need go hungry.

Now that I'm born again, I'm being fed the Living Water, and the Bread of Life.

All the more I think all can be fed -- in body, and in spirit.

A true born again's needs are simple.

We live for God; not for food.

We eat to live; we don't live to eat.

We don't visit cable channels that show how to make the fluffiest scrambled eggs, or the nuttiest bars, or the most decadent chocolate cake.

We have subjected our appetites, to serve the Lord.

And I think how the people of Israel were fed manna.

Exodus 16:14-15

King James Version

14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, 

behold, 

upon the face of the wilderness 

there lay a small round thing, 

as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

15 And when the children of Israel saw it, 

they said one to another, 

It is manna: 

for they wist not what it was. 

And Moses said unto them, 

This is the bread 

which the Lord hath given you to eat.

What the Lord provides, it comes in great abundance.

Exodus 16:18

King James Version

18 And when they did mete it with an omer, 

he that gathered much had nothing over, 

and he that gathered little had no lack; 

they gathered every man according to his eating.

Imagine if we were to focus on JESUS, the Living Water, and the Bread of Life?

We shall never hunger.

We shall never thirst.

John 6:35

King James Version

35 And Jesus said unto them, 

I am the bread of life: 

he that cometh to me shall never hunger; 

and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

We will have eternal life.

John 6:27

King James Version

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, 

but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, 

which the Son of man shall give unto you: 

for him hath God the Father sealed.

If your heart is in God, you'd know food must not be a god.

GOD is the only one we must praise, adore, and focus on.

The Lord Jesus has showed us how.

Holy Spirit and I wrote a follow-up post that looks into manna -- the food God gave from heaven.

Related material:

FOOD for the SPIRIT

Updated 21 October 2022

Why hardship never seems to end

 

The LORD JESUS said:

Revelation 3:10

King James Version

10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, 

I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, 

which shall come upon all the world, 

to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Why does hardship on earth never seem to end?

We all got on the wrong ship, that's what.

I don't know about you, but ever since God made me born again, and His Holy Spirit started teaching me, everything became crystal clear.

Even the source of all our hardships.

And why it continues so.

Consider the following:

Eve was tempted.

Genesis 3:6

King James Version

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, 

and that it was pleasant to the eyes, 

and a tree to be desired to make one wise, 

she took of the fruit thereof, 

and did eat, 

and gave also unto her husband with her; 

and he did eat.

God was mighty mad and put out the curse.

Genesis 3:16-19

King James Version

16 Unto the woman he said, 

I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; 

in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; 

and thy desire shall be to thy husband, 

and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, 

Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, 

and hast eaten of the tree, 

of which I commanded thee, saying, 

Thou shalt not eat of it: 

cursed is the ground for thy sake; 

in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; 

and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, 

till thou return unto the ground; 

for out of it wast thou taken: 

for dust thou art, 

and unto dust shalt thou return.

He sealed the garden of Eden from us.

Genesis 3:22-24

King James Version

22 And the Lord God said, 

Behold, 

the man is become as one of us, 

to know good and evil: 

and now, 

lest he put forth his hand, 

and take also of the tree of life, 

and eat, 

and live for ever:

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth 

from the garden of Eden, 

to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; 

and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden 

Cherubims, 

and a flaming sword which turned every way, 

to keep the way of the tree of life.

Man kept sinning, thus, the curse was never lifted.

Exodus 34:7

King James Version

7 Keeping mercy for thousands, 

forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, 

and that will by no means clear the guilty; 

visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, 

and upon the children's children, 

unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Worse, man kept adoring other gods, and never God.

Deuteronomy 5:9

King James Version

9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, 

nor serve them: 

for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, 

visiting the iniquity of the fathers 

upon the children unto the third and fourth generation 

of them that hate me,

Now, really think about it.

You don't have to be a master of logic, or mathematics, or even be a theologian to analyze things.

If God visited the "iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation", and we kept sinning in the midst of those generations, how can suffering ever end?

Hello.

Let's say the first generation sinned.

Fine.

Then the second generation got right with God.

Awesome.

Thing is, the third generation forgot, and rebelled.

Oh boy.

Won't that third generation pass on the same curse to its own next generations?

No wonder, JESUS was sent.

We could have been beyond redemption.

All right, the Lord probably said, "I'll take on human form."

"I'll take on your sins."

"I'll show you how to adore the Father."

"I'll show you how to love each other."

"I'll defeat death, and the devil, for you."

"I'll show you how last can be first."

"I'll show you that only God matters."

"I'll minister, but after I die, God will raise me up again."

"I'll show you God's power over life, and death."

"But I won't leave you comfortless. I'll send you the Holy Spirit, to teach you all things about Me."

"And yes, I shall come quickly, so start paying attention."

Still, despite the blood of the Lamb shed on the cross, and the Word of God given through Scripture, man continues to defy the Lord.

Man can probably try defying gravity.

But defying the ONE who CREATED gravity?

Really?

No wonder, the gravity of our sins.

It all weighs heavily upon us.

Sure, we are hounded by the enemy non-stop.

Ganging up on the few faithful, hoping they'll trip.

If there's but a few, steady faithful, can you imagine the implication of it all?

Romans 3:23

King James Version

23 For all have sinned, 

and come short of the glory of God;

And the never ending extension of that curse?

How can we stop all these?

Only JESUS can save us.

We must seek Him with all our heart.

Matthew 6:33

King James Version

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, 

and his righteousness; 

and all these things shall be added unto you.

And you'll see what happens.

God will send His Holy Spirit to those who really care to know His Son.

And your personal hardship might just end.

For you will now know what matters most.

Updated 26 January 2022

What MAKES everything WORK?

 

John 4:24

King James Version

24 God is a Spirit: 

and they that worship him 

must worship him in spirit and in truth.

What do you think, makes everything work in this world?

Is it us?

Is it our combined energies?

Is it our intellect?

Is it our creativity?

Is it one man?

Or is it a greater power?

If you are born again, you'd know the answer.

GOD makes EVERYTHING work.

God is the Alpha and Omega.

Revelation 1:8

King James Version

8 I am Alpha and Omega, 

the beginning and the ending, 

saith the Lord, 

which is, 

and which was, 

and which is to come, 

the Almighty.

But why does man keep doubting God's power?

Why do we deprive God the LOVE and GLORY long past due Him?

We have been diabolical in our neglect.

We have been subject to the prince of the world.

The spirit that drives the world, is definitely NOT the same spirit as GOD.

For had it been the same, we would not forget God.

We would not make everything mechanical, when it ought to be SPIRITUAL.

We would not treat each other as robots.

We would be kind to each other.

We would follow God's commandments.

We would learn to love, as Jesus taught us.

We would believe in His resurrection.

We would obey God's will, at every moment.

We would pray to know His will.

We would eagerly wait for Jesus' return.

But no, we follow a different god.

Actually, many gods.

Too many gods.

As if in mockery of the ONE, TRUE GOD.

And yet, listen to what Scripture says about the Lord:

Isaiah 40:21-26

King James Version

21 Have ye not known? 

have ye not heard? 

hath it not been told you from the beginning? 

have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, 

and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; 

that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, 

and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; 

he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

24 Yea, they shall not be planted; 

yea, they shall not be sown: 

yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: 

and he shall also blow upon them, 

and they shall wither, 

and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

25 To whom then will ye liken me, 

or shall I be equal? 

saith the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, 

and behold who hath created these things, 

that bringeth out their host by number: 

he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, 

for that he is strong in power; 

not one faileth.

Isaiah 40:28-31

King James Version

28 Hast thou not known? 

hast thou not heard, 

that the everlasting God, 

the Lord, 

the Creator of the ends of the earth, 

fainteth not, 

neither is weary? 

there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; 

and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, 

and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; 

they shall mount up with wings as eagles; 

they shall run, 

and not be weary; 

and they shall walk, 

and not faint.

God makes everything work.

Why do we even think we humans have power to control anything?

God is the ONLY true power.

We can keep mocking God, rejecting Him, hiding from Him, but all power, and glory, belong to Him.

When the day of the Lord comes, where would we be?

Would we be ready for judgment?

Isaiah 2:12

King James Version

12 For the day of the Lord of hosts 

shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, 

and upon every one that is lifted up; 

and he shall be brought low:

I've made my stand -- behind Jesus -- nearly 21 months ago.

Through His HOLY SPIRIT, He made everything simple, and clear for me to understand.

Scripture is His WORD.

It will be all that remains in the end.

Updated 26 January 2022