Take Life One Day at a Time

“Give us this day our daily bread.”
                             Matthew 6:11 (KJV)
 






Hi friends,

     How are you?  I hope you are doing well.  This is a rather short verse, yet it tells us quite a bit.  “Give us this day our daily bread.”  We are asking God to give us what we need for the day and to show us His will for us for the day. 

     We as humans are very needy.  Thankfully, Our Father in heaven wants to give us what we need.  He also wants us to ask Him for our needs, to acknowledge that we can’t provide our needs without Him, and trust that He will provide our needs for us. 

     Jesus uses the word “bread” in Matthew 6:11 and obviously, I don’t know for sure his meaning.  Yet, I believe that he is referring to more than food.  I believe that he is referring to everything that we need to get through the day and to do the things that God wants us to do in that day. They also refer to physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual things. 

     Physical things might be food, water, sleep, rest, shelter, and clothing.  It might also include a job or income so that these things can be earned.  Emotional, spiritual, and intellectual things might include the knowledge of what God calls us to do and the willingness, courage, and obedience to do what God calls us to do.  They may also include things like giving us the knowledge, strength, willingness, courage, and obedience to stay away from sin and temptation during the day.

     These words by Jesus also remind us that we are to pray daily.  The words don’t say, “Give us our weekly bread or our monthly bread.”  We are to go to God daily in prayer and ask for His will to be done and for our needs to be provided for everyday.  Prayer is important and it is important to pray every day.

     These words also remind us to only worry about one day at a time.  Again, Jesus uses words like “this day” and “daily bread.”  He doesn’t say that we should pray for or about things that are going to happen next week, next month, or next year, or even tomorrow.  We are to pray daily for what we need for each day.

     It is also interesting to note, that Jesus doesn’t say anything about the “desires of our heart” here.  He doesn’t say anything about wants.  It is needs that are mentioned.  (No daily “frosting” here.)
 
Heavenly Father,
     Thank you for being our Heavenly Father.  Thank you for sending your only begotten Son, Jesus to us to not only be our savior, but to be our ultimate teacher and role model.  Thank you for giving us the Lord’s Prayer through Jesus.  Please, help us to live according to the words that Jesus gave us.  Help us to pray to you and come to you daily for our daily needs.  Help us to not only ask you, but to trust you to provide what we need each day to do the things you want us to do each day and to live in the way that you want us to live each day.  Help us to pray the Lord’s Prayer and not just recite it.  I ask you this through your Son, Jesus.  Amen.
 
   *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *    
 
Reflective questions for Matthew 6:11 (KJV):
*What does Matthew 6:11 mean to me?
*Do I pray to God daily?
*Do I ask for my needs every day?
*Do I trust that God will provide for me daily?
*Do I ask what God’s will is for me each day and ask that He gives me the
 courage, skill, and obedience to do His will for me each day?
*Do I take one day at a time or worry about things in the future?
 
Now, it is your turn.
     I would enjoy hearing your thoughts.  Comment below or feel free to contact me.  Thank you.  I pray someone is blessed by this.
 

---