Put Your Focus On The Bread!

OK, this post is completely inspired by my scavenger of a dog, Barney.

I simply love the book of John.  It's so rich and full of life!  A particular passage that I love is in John 6:25-59 which is entitled, Jesus Is the Bread of Life.  The disciples are asking Jesus what miraculous sign He is going to give to prove that He was sent from God.  They make a reference in verse 31 to the manna that came from heaven when the Israelites were in the desert after being freed from Egypt saying, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, it it not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who 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" (v 32-33). Jesus is, of course, referring to Himself.  He goes on to say in verse 35, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe."

So here's where Barney comes in.  David and I were standing in the kitchen chatting about our day, and Dave was eating a sandwich.  My dog is a true scavenger!  He's the type of dog that sits and stares hoping to get just a morsel of food while we're eating.  He was so intently focused on David's sandwich that he missed a piece that fell from it to the floor.  I said, "Barney, you're so focused on the bread that you didn't see the bite."  Immediately, the Lord spoke to my spirit.  He said, "If more people who focus on the bread of life they wouldn't see the bites from the enemy."  Wow!!  I was amazed!

If we as Christians would spend more time with our eyes and hearts focused on Jesus we would not be moved when the enemy attacks us.  And trust me, when you're living your life for the Lord, he will attack.  It's not something that might happen one day, it something that is guaranteed. BUT, if we stay focused on Jesus and each one of His promises we will overcome and not be moved or shaken. We've gotten our focus off of Jesus and on to everything else around us.  We are focused on material things rather than those who are hurting and lost.  We think that because we "have a good heart" we can do whatever we want to during the week as long as we go to church on Sunday.  God does look at our heart, but your outward actions are a reflection of your inward being.  The things that we say and do come from our inner man.  People are dying every single day without ever knowing the love of Jesus.  They never get to know what it's like to have someone care, truly care, about them.  And the blame is on the church, because we're too scared we might get our hands dirty picking up the broken pieces of someone's life.

So many people think that walking the Christian walk is just about going to church on Sunday and Wednesday and simply living a "good" life the rest of the time.  That's not all it's about, people.  Warming a seat on Sunday is not what God has called us to do.  He has called us to be doers of the Word.  We are supposed to actively walk out the Word of God in our lives.  We are supposed to live lives that make us stand out from the norm.  We are to be shining examples of the love of Jesus.  We are to have our focus so tuned in to Him that everything in our lives reflect Jesus.  When people look at me, my heart's desire is that they see and feel the love of Jesus.  I'm not fully there yet, but I'm certainly not where I used to be.  I'm allowing the Lord to transform me from the inside out so that I am able to reflect Him.  He's got a lot of mud and muck to work through, but He's doing it.  He's molding me and forming me into someone whose eyes are stayed on Him through the trials and tribulations of this life.  He's making me into a woman who's not afraid to reach out and say, "Hey, I've been where you are.  I can offer you hope for a better tomorrow.  Jesus did it for me and He will do it for you too!" He is the true bread of life.  Focus. On. Him.