What is the source of life and how to we continue to live? Do we depend on our heavenly Father for our daily bread or do we look to the government to meet our needs? After all, we are not supposed to seek after material things even food because we are meant to be so much more than these temporary bodies and the created world we live in.
We often forget that the bible teaches that the Lord merely speaking it into existence created this world and everything that is in it. The Lord brought this truth home to the children of Israel by speaking the manna into existence and causing even their clothes and sandals not to wear out and stated that “man shall not live by bread alone but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Too many people today turn to the government for their daily bread and they are then enslaved to their material needs instead of enjoying the liberty given by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
People love their stuff and even if it but a few things that they have, they do not want to lose those things. However, the Lord wants more for us, He desires that we seek a relationship with Him that goes beyond our material needs.
Our lives are so much more than food, shelter and clothes and that is why Jesus stated, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). He reminded His disciples, “The Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:32).
We should not look to serve the creation but the Creator, the government is not the source of life and it is certainly not the source of our daily bread. In the United States, we once understood that government was to be limited and not the provider of more than the common defense but that has changed over the last century and now a great number of Americans turn to the government for those things that only God should provide.
Our heavenly Father knows what we need and often we need so much less than what we want. When we tie ourselves so closely to the material world we lose sight of what is truly important and what really has permanence.
Think of all the meals you have eaten over the years, how many of them do you recall right now? Sure, we all have a few meals we cherish and we can certainly remember what we ate over the last few days and weeks but really how important and memorable are most of our meals?
We are more than the food we eat and we are more than the clothes we wear even our Sunday best because after our days on earth are done those things are of little consequence. What will truly matter to you and to me on the day we stand before the Lord and give an account of our days is what we did for Him and for others.
Our heavenly Father knows we need to eat and we prefer not to stand naked in a crowd, well almost everyone.
But there are more important things in this very temporary life of ours such as seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, because we do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
