The Bread The Lord Has Given You

Exodus 16:11-16 The LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’” That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

Of late, I have been working through a bible study on 1 Corinthians. Much of the latter part of that book in the Bible is devoted to spiritual gifts. These are the specific abilities we are blessed with by God to serve Him and His kingdom. From 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. 

We who are richly blessed have been given much by a loving God. We are given so much that we often take what we are given for granted, because of its abundance. In some cases we may even forget that what we have is given to us by God. We may foolishly think we are the source of all that we have. Similarly we may misuse what we have been blessed with. That temptation is all too easy to fall into and many are trapped in that lifestyle. 

When we look at the situation of the Israelites in Exodus 16 above we see a nation that is totally dependent upon The Lord. The quail are provided in the evening and the manna in the morning. There was no extravagant life style. They were at a subsistence level of existence. We can, most certainly should take a lesson from Exodus 16. We are given what we need by The Lord. When we seek to have more we must ask ourselves why and to what end will the "more" be used. A good introspective look within ourselves asking how much is enough is needed. And along with how much is enough, ask what are we doing with what we have? Lent is a great time to remember the lesson of the Israelites with the quail and the manna and apply it to our lives. The words of Exodus 16:15 should be seriously considered. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

PRAYER: Father, You provide us with all that we need. Our families, our homes, our jobs our food are all from You. We are truly blessed. As we go about our day, help us to see how You would have us use what we are given. Guide is how's we share what we are blessed with. And lead us in using our spiritual gifts is serving You. We as this in the name do Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.