Spiritual Sustenance

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)

When Jesus was being tempted by the devil during His wilderness experience, He quoted Deuteronomy to dispatch the enemy. The Son of God knows that our need for spiritual sustenance (sustenance being something that gives support and strength) is, at the deepest level, far more pressing than our need for the daily bread that sustains physical life on this side of the grave. Clearly, our deep need for God can be compared to the basic needs of both hunger and thirst.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1)

Just as the life of the deer depends on water, our lives depend totally on God. He is not only the giver of life, He is the sustainer of life too. Those who seek Him will find Him (Matthew 7:7-11; James 4:8), and in finding Him we have everlasting life. Seeking a fresh encounter with the living God each day provides the spiritual sustenance we all need. We must seek God early and often, in His Word, in prayer, and in community.

Remember, just as our physical body requires certain nutrients to sustain life, our spirit also needs nourishment. The consequences of spiritual malnutrition cannot be overstated; when we are not taking in the spiritual nourishment we need, we begin to drift away from God. Drift lapses into distance . . . distance sinks into depression . . . and depression crumbles into despair.

All this can be avoided simply by ingesting the spiritual sustenance we need. How are you doing at feeding on Jesus every day? It was after Jesus fed the 5,000 that He said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48). Everyone within the sound of His voice knew what He was talking about: Physical food is good and necessary to sustain physical life, but Jesus is the better thing and absolutely necessary to sustain spiritual life — right here, right now, and on into eternity.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!