The Daily Breadcast

When does life hurt for you?

Is the hurt normally emotional or physical?

• Abuse
• Age
• Conflict
• Loss
• Mundaneness
• Triggers

Life is terrible if you have no purpose.

Everything deteriorates, and hope is largely non-existent

What’s your purpose?

• God
• Family
• Job
• Money
• Entertainment
• Etc…

Water is cleansing - water is restorative - water saves…and it is all through the old testament

Lets just begin with creation

The waters were divided and creation came from water

Water is mentioned 722 times in the old testament

Noah was saved by water from the wickedness around him

• The earth was cleaned of its impurity by a flood
• Water got rid of the evil
• Got rid of the old man
• Made a way for the new man

Moses passed through the water to be saved from the Egyptians

• To be saved from the evil
• To be rescued
• To be delivered

Washing with Water cleansed impurities or discharges in Leviticus 15

• To be cleansed they were to wash clothes and bathe in water

In the new testament 1 Peter 3:21 - baptism now saves us!! Not removing the filth of the flesh, but an answer of a clean conscience towards God. This is shown as a saving similar to how Noah and the eight souls on the ark were saved by water.

“One day a woman gave her children a rock and a lollipop. They were instructed to put the rock in their shoe and walked down the street and back home with the rock in their shoe and the lollipop in their mouth. You should’ve heard the grumbling. They couldn’t walk normal because the rock was uncomfortable. They were limping and staggering just trying to get home. 

When they came back in the house, she asked them what it was like for them to walk around like that. The answers varied, but mostly talked about how hard it was to walk around with the rock in their shoe. Nobody mentioned how sweet the lollipop was in their mouth.”

We often fail to realize God’s blessings because we put too much focus on the struggles of life.

Negativity is a tendency to be downbeat, disagreeable or skeptical; expecting the worst. An attitude that is not hopeful or enthusiastic.

Prolonged negativity diminishes your ability to think, reason and form memories.

In Numbers 11, the children of Israel (I GUESS) were tired of the manna they had to eat everyday to be nourished. You know… the manna they received from God when they complained about not being filled to the full, like they were in Egypt.  Hmmmm… Now they are tired of only having manna, and they complained about not having meat to eat. Again, compared it to Egypt when they had fish o’plenty, or the mass amounts of fruit, whatever they wanted.  

What will keep you out of Heaven?

First of all, I believe the parable of the kingdom of heaven that compares it to the workers in the vineyard is a parable that gives some sort of license to people who drag their feet and they take each day for granted and say “I’ll do it tomorrow,” or is a reassurance to those who don’t hear the gospel until late in life and they can have the same reward as those who’ve practiced their walk in the spirit for decades.

Matthew 20:1-16 Workers in the vineyard

• Some came early in the morning
• Some came at the 3rd hour of the day
• Some came at the 6th hour of the day
• Some came at the 9th hour of the day
• Some brought in from about the 11th hour of the day
• All received 1 denarii
• The outrage because the early workers didn’t think it was fair.

1. Self-righteousness - seeking the glory that belongs to God
2. Living for the flesh
3. Measuring the acts of others, but not applying that same measure to yourself
4. Willingly sinning
5. Keeping a ledger to gain your reward
6. Blaspheme the Holy Spirit

While it called today!!! Hebrews 3:13-15 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

What did you do to earn your salvation?

Some people will have an answer for that question, and it may go something like this:

• I gave alms to the poor
• I go to church every week
• I pray every day
• I help the orphans and the widows

Others won’t have an answer, or their answer is:

• I didn’t
• I can’t
• I could never earn it
• I there’s nothing I could ever do
• Nothing will ever be enough

Maybe the question is wrong.  Try this one: What does salvation require?

God -> Jesus -> Bible -> God

Most of what anyone says they believe about God, Jesus, the Bible itself is found in the bible.  Many skeptics will say it’s a circular argument.  Like trying to define a word by using the word itself.

I.e. If I were to teach you about Complementary angles and say “they are angles that are complements of each other.”  Well, you might follow that up with “what are angles that are complements of each other?” to which the answer would be “Complementary angles.”  Circular arguments don’t tell you anything.

So to say I believe the Bible is the truth because the Bible says it is, sounds like a circular argument.

However, the evidences of the bible are what validate the use of the bible to corroborate your belief.

From the Bible we learn about God and also His plan of salvation that includes Jesus, His Son.

I do this little exercise, and it wasn’t for this purpose, but it is a byproduct of doing this thing…

I journal bible things and date the entries

• I take notes and date the day I took notes
• I write my prayers down as I pray (many times, but not always) then date the prayer
• I draw pictures and use bible verses or bible language as the inspiration for the picture and date the picture.

Then as I open up a journal to use an empty page, I notice how long it was since I last journaled.

Journaling was the exercise that got me climbing out of a hole I dug myself in, and am still climbing out of.  But it got me focusing on God’s word, and my need for Him.  The dating of entries only led me to analyze… “MAN!!! It’s been a little while.”

There is a reason it’s called Daily Bread!!

We need God DAILY!!!

Exodus chapter 16

The Israelites have been wandering the wilderness for a few days/weeks, and they were concerned for what they would eat.  The previous chapter they were concerned for going three days without water… all the while being led by GOD!!  At any rate, they complained because they were filled with food in Egypt, and it would’ve been better had they died in Egypt because they were fed.

Uggghhhh - how frustrating people are…  self-reliance, such a dependence on their feelings.

I will work myself to death, but at least I have a nice car

I hate my job, but at least I have ________________ insert any temporal pleasure, anything that in reality, doesn’t have much depth to it.  

MATTHEW 4:4 - Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

But I digress…  God heard the people’s complaints and caused bread to rain from heaven, but he heard them very well…

They said “we ate bread to the full” so God put a requirement that everyone only gather enough for the day for them to be full, and “Let no one leave any of it till morning.”

This is such a man’s response to this… I’m guilty of this...  Hoarding or Stretching your blessings, trying to take something extra so you can have it later, or not eating until you’re full; thinking that you can split what you have to make it last another day, or two.  They thought they were clever, and created this false sense of security - It’s from God.  How can it go bad?  How can I be wrong from keeping some for the next day?  I don’t need to work tomorrow, I have enough for two days (three days, four…).

The stuff left until the next morning spoiled, worms and stank to high holy, and Moses was furious.

Paraphrasing Moses - “I told you to get what would fill you and not have any leftovers!”  “I told you there would be some daily!”  “Yet, you fools don’t listen, and think you know best!” “UUUGGGGHHH!”

So they realized God was serious, so they got for the day what they needed to be filled, and the rest of the manna melted.

Being thankful is easy for the big stuff, you have a car, house, job, family, friends, food, etc…

Being hateful or resentful or angry…

What about being thankful for the most basic, seemingly menial, things God has given you?!

• A new day
• Opening your eyes
• Every breath of each moment of your life

It would probably become extremely difficult to name all the things God has given us, without which we would likely be lost, helpless, hopeless or nonexistent. When we lose sight of the little things we’re blessed with, it’s incredibly easy to get entitled, or expectant, or lose our thanksgiving.

We know that when Adam was made, God breathed into him the breath of life that was put into his nostrils - Genesis 2:7

Let’s take a look at what breath given by God can do:  

• Jesus Breathed on the Apostles and they received the Holy Spirit! John 20:21-22
• The Valley of the Dry Bones -  Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. - Ezekiel 37:4-5
• Psalm 104:29-30 - When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

Science has told us that circulation of blood is dependent on, or the mechanism, that transfers oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body.

Science has also told us that oxygen and carbon dioxide are brought in and expelled with every breath you take.

We do not survive without breathing.  Life does not exist without the ability to breathe.  God gave us His breath, and it is His breath that sustains us.

Job 33:4 - the breath of the Almighty gives me life

Job 27:3 - As long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils

"You gotta give respect, to get respect!"

How do you respond when you're disrespected?

• Be Forgiving
• Focus on Doing What's Right
• Practice what you Preach
• Love your Neighbor

Go to God's Word to find what we are to do when faced with the daily difficult scenario of dealing with a disrespectful person.