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  • Don't Give Up on Others

    Don't Give Up

    Have you given up on someone? Have you lost hope and quit praying for them? Remember, Jesus said that we “should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).

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Meet with Jesus Daily

The Israelites were grumbling … again. 

 

It had only been two months since God had parted the Red Sea for them to escape the Egyptians. They had already witnessed God’s presence leading them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21). They had experienced His provision when He turned the bitter waters of Marah sweet (Ex. 15:23-25). They had enjoyed a wonderful respite at Elim, where they camped by 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees (Ex. 15:27). But now they found themselves in the Desert of Sin (Ex. 16:1). (Coincidence? I think not.) And they complained to Moses: “You brought us out of Egypt for what? So we would starve in the wilderness?”

 

But before Moses even had a chance to pray about it, God answered, “I will rain down bread from heaven!” (Exodus 16:4, my own paraphrase)

 

God provided bread for His people, sustenance for their bodies and souls. But He added one caveat: They were only to gather enough for one day at a time. Of course, there were those who tried to gather more, but they found that the next day it smelled bad and was full of maggots (Ex. 16:20)!

 

They had to gather their bread daily.

 

Fast forward to the New Testament. Jesus has just fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-14). His disciples cross the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus joins them after dark, walking on the water to get there (John 6:16-21). The next day, the crowds follow Him there, looking for more miracles (John 6:22-31). They want more miraculous bread.

 

That’s when Jesus tells them, “I’m the bread from heaven” (John 6:33). “I’m the bread of life” (John 6:35)! “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51).

 

Just as the Israelites gathered manna for their daily sustenance, we need to meet with Jesus daily. He is our daily Bread. By setting aside time to meet with Him, read His Word and pray, we are plugging in to His power, tuning our souls to His wavelength, so that we will be refreshed and refilled by His Spirit and sensitive to His leading throughout our day.