Listing By Titles Old Testament References New Testament References
Cross Symbol

RECOGNIZE THE GIVER
The Whole Loaf

A Commentary by Constance Vanides

“Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

My husband had just placed seeds in the bird feeder. “Activity” became the name of the game! Enticed by the tiny thistle seeds, little Finches were busy hovering and darting here and there around the feeder. Some were eating. But, by and large, the winged creatures spent most of their time in flight, fighting off the others, eyes openly looking out for the Scrub Jay, an aggressive bird that made his presence known with no uncertainty, gobbling up seeds as fast as he could go!

How like that are we! We are given Spiritual food, a goodly supply. We might gather around in a Bible study group to devour the word together. But wait, what do we do, instead of heading for the nourishing Word of God? We fuss about, making sure others of a different feather aren’t around. Or, we pick at one another, distracted from the study with lively personal discussions about the value of Bible study for us today. We argue about which Bible translation is the most accurate, to the extent that nourishment, the truth of the Word is set aside.

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’”
(John 6:32, 33)

Like ground-feeder birds,. we may find it easier to get the Word second-hand, from “under the table,” where well-meaning “experts” have dropped some morsels of their understandings. Though ground feeders eat what remains, their food is “left-overs,” not the choicest of nutrition.

God wants us to have the best, not just bits and pieces, but the whole loaf of the finest Jesus offers when He says,“I am the bread of life.” (John 6:48)

So busy doing, no time to eat properly, we miss out on the quiet and silence that enables us to hear from the Holy Spirit. It’s in the quiet and silence, as we keep our selves from flitting about, that our inner spirit can perceive our Lord. The Holy Spirit comes to point the way to the True Bread filled with all the needed nutrients, combined for growth in the Spirit, enough for a filling, re-filling and fulfilling life.

Stop a while and receive His very best …The Lord himself!

If you are interested, you can see an alphabetical listing of most of this website's Contemplation Pages at Contemplation Pages Archive

 Archive Page
TO ARCHIVE HOME PAGE
© Constance Vanides