January 27
And being aware of it, Jesus said to then, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Mark 8:17
Walk into any bakery and the first thing to hit your senses is the aroma of fresh bread baking. Oh the deliciousness of it! The warm, comforting, mouth watering smell swirling through the air! There is nothing else like it and there can never be enough! And we worry about that sometimes, don’t we? We worry about tomorrow; will we have enough bread to go around? Will there be enough in our pantries, in our wallets, in our oil tanks, in our retirement funds . . . and on and on we go. Will we ever have enough? What is enough anyway?
Jesus reminds His apostles in these verses in Mark of the multiplication of the loaves of bread, when thousands of people gathered to hear Him speak and they only had a few loaves of bread and a few fish in the basket. He reminded them not only of having enough, but of all they had left over after feeding the many. But then, He also cautioned them about the “yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod” and how it can infiltrate and spread throughout. Like bread dough that needs to be punched down to release the air trapped inside at its first rising, the Pharisees were empty inside and filled with themselves. We can turn our backs to hearts hardened like the Pharisees’, this permeation of evil that is all around us still today; this need to acquire what one wants at the cost of another, of the need to be right and first and best at the cost of many – this driven mind-set to consider only our own needs. Like the bubbles in bread dough during its second rising, our actions help make it possible for immorality to be replaced with a pleasing, filling texture that is respectful, spirit nourishing and life sustaining - a loving heart.
When we allow God to use us, we are like the finished bread in the bakery, fragrant and comforting as we bring His love throughout our families and communities. By choosing to look at what we have rather than what we do not, by opening our eyes to the needs of others, we become more aware of God’s goodness filling us to overflowing and we can trust that in Him, we will always have enough, with much left over.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the bread of life that fills our bodies and spirits.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
And being aware of it, Jesus said to then, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Mark 8:17
Walk into any bakery and the first thing to hit your senses is the aroma of fresh bread baking. Oh the deliciousness of it! The warm, comforting, mouth watering smell swirling through the air! There is nothing else like it and there can never be enough! And we worry about that sometimes, don’t we? We worry about tomorrow; will we have enough bread to go around? Will there be enough in our pantries, in our wallets, in our oil tanks, in our retirement funds . . . and on and on we go. Will we ever have enough? What is enough anyway?
Jesus reminds His apostles in these verses in Mark of the multiplication of the loaves of bread, when thousands of people gathered to hear Him speak and they only had a few loaves of bread and a few fish in the basket. He reminded them not only of having enough, but of all they had left over after feeding the many. But then, He also cautioned them about the “yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod” and how it can infiltrate and spread throughout. Like bread dough that needs to be punched down to release the air trapped inside at its first rising, the Pharisees were empty inside and filled with themselves. We can turn our backs to hearts hardened like the Pharisees’, this permeation of evil that is all around us still today; this need to acquire what one wants at the cost of another, of the need to be right and first and best at the cost of many – this driven mind-set to consider only our own needs. Like the bubbles in bread dough during its second rising, our actions help make it possible for immorality to be replaced with a pleasing, filling texture that is respectful, spirit nourishing and life sustaining - a loving heart.
When we allow God to use us, we are like the finished bread in the bakery, fragrant and comforting as we bring His love throughout our families and communities. By choosing to look at what we have rather than what we do not, by opening our eyes to the needs of others, we become more aware of God’s goodness filling us to overflowing and we can trust that in Him, we will always have enough, with much left over.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the bread of life that fills our bodies and spirits.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson