Bible References: Matthew 6:9-13; Proverbs 30:8-9; 1Timothy 6:7-8; Psalm 104:10,14,16,21; John 6:32-35; Matthew 1:6
“Give us this day our daily bread,” Matthew 6:11 reminds us that God can provide for our daily needs. We need to put God at the center of our life. This verse of the Lord’s Prayer serves as a “provision gospel”, reminding us that God will provide for all our needs. He merely wants us to totally rely upon Him. He wants us to be “God-reliant” rather than self-reliant.
Self-reliance and self-sufficiency are idols we no longer can afford to entertain. They keep us from having an intimate relationship with God. He openly offers us the best. In turn He asks us to give Him our obedience and our best. He wants to be our only source and we in turn can depend on Him to be a consistent and endless source of good. He provides substance to our lives – Christ is the bread of life.
To achieve that intimacy with God, we must forge a path from selfishness to selflessness. God wants us to spend unhurried time with Him daily. As “God-reliant” people we need to integrate conversations with God throughout our day, when we rise, when we eat, as we face the joys and challenges daily. We need to recognize that we didn’t create all that we have; it is by God’s grace that we are blessed. Everything we do and every gift we receive is from God.
As you launch into the week, find an activity you do every day and integrate some aspect of the Lord’s Prayer into the activity (e.g. when saying grace, add thanks for all the people that helped bring the food to your table, and ask that God protect them and bless them).
Give us this day our daily bread – Christ is the bread of life.