Give Us Today Just Enough Bread [SHAPED BY FAITH]

If we trust our stomachs to tell us when the body needs fuel, then we must also be sensitive to not overfill the stomach so that it can work most efficiently.

This is the part of the plan with which I most struggle.  I can wait until I am truly hungry to eat, but once I get started, I tend to hurriedly consume the food until my stomach is stretched and hurting.

When I stuff myself, I am not eating to prepare my body for God’s service.  I know this to be true because after eating too much I always feel tired and guilty, and I want to simply sit until the feeling passes.  Food is meant to give us energy and pep and liveliness!  But too much has the opposite effect.

This might be why Jesus prays, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 NIV).  He could have easily prayed for God to give an abundance of food or not even mention food at all.  However, Jesus understood our need for nourishment physically and spiritually.  When he was tested regarding food, he used the Word of God as a sword.  “Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'"  (Matthew 4:4 NIV).

I can use God’s Word to protect me from the temptation to overeat as well.  Small amounts of food eaten only when my body calls for it produce in me vigor and a joyful feeling.  The next time that my stomach is satisfied, but my greedy heart still wants more, I will fight back with Jesus’ words.  Because nothing tastes as good as a life led by God.