August 30 devotion - I Like Bread

Luke 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread.

I like bread. I like it a lot. Whether it’s the bread that I toast in the morning, the sandwich that I eat for lunch or in the roll that I may have with dinner, my conclusion is the same: Bread Rules! When I was growing as a teenager, I could sometimes eat half a loaf at night with butter and jam. I don’t know how my folks afforded it, but there was always bread in the pantry for all of us hungry Stuart kids.

In Scotland, there is something called a plain loaf which is a doughy loaf of sliced white bread. At each end of the loaf is a thick slice which is either called the ‘heel’ or the ‘outsider’. In our house, getting the outsider was an extra helping, so we took it turns to receive it. Whenever it was toasted, covered in butter, and put on a plate, I felt as though I was feasting like a king. As I am writing this, I can still experience crunching through the dark crust and tasting the texture of the bread. As a poor kid, from a large family, living in a deprived area, white bread was my staple diet. Eating the thick crunchy heel was a wonderful blessing that meant a lot to me.

When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, He instructs them to ask God to give them their daily bread before they ask Him to forgive their sins. He wants them to rely upon God to sustain them first and then forgive them second. It’s not that forgiveness is less important than meeting their needs; it’s just that Jesus wants them to be grateful first and then seek God’s mercy.

Sometimes I need to remember that lesson. Frequently I feel guilty about my mistakes so that when I talk to God in prayer, I reel off a list of sins in order to seek His mercy first. I forget to be grateful and thank God for His daily goodness; instead I focus on being forgiven in order to make me feel good. Perhaps if I changed my prayers to concentrate on thanking God first, then I would not dwell upon how much I disappointed Him again.

Questions for personal reflection

What are the daily gifts in my life for which I should be grateful to God? Are my prayers more about me or God?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching us how to pray and for drawing our attention to the daily blessings and needs that God provides. Keep us from being self-centered or ungrateful. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is a bulletin cover design for Communion drawn by John based upon Christ’s own words, “I am the Bread of Life.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3560/3770073328_9c57843113_b.jpg

Just Ask - Luke 11:9-10

Luke 11:9-10 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (NIV)

            When I was twelve years old, my mother took a nervous breakdown in front of me. We were sitting in the living room and she just started going crazy, throwing things around her, breaking ornaments and other stuff, cursing loudly and shouting swear words that I had never heard her use before. It was a traumatic event for my youngest brother and me, who were the only two witnesses. It was also the beginning of decades of mental illness that saw her in and out of locked hospital wards for many months each year.

            My Dad, as well as my siblings, did not know what to do. It felt shameful to us and we worried about catching the same thing. We didn’t ask for help and we didn’t share it with anyone outside of our extended family and most trustworthy of neighbors. We individually carried our burdens within our own hearts and minds, didn’t talk much about it, and just sought to survive the whole experience.

            When I look back on those tragic events now, I wish we had asked for help, good counsel, and guidance. We were so fiercely independent and stubbornly proud which caused us to become locked in the past and unable to truly cope with my mom’s illness. In my case, I ended up as an alcoholic and only survived an overdose because of the quick intervention of dear friends. I now believe that if our family had all been properly counseled and learned to trust skilled professionals, my life, as well as those of my siblings, would have been addiction-free.

            I think this is why Jesus tells His followers to ask God for help. We tend to use today’s highlighted verses as a positive opportunity to get what we want. However, I now think it’s much more than that: Jesus is telling us to ask God for what we really need: help, healing, and direction. Christ is saying to us that God can unlock the door to our future health and happiness, just by asking for help. It’s a wonderful promise which can become a channel of deep and profound blessing in our lives.

            Wherever you are today and whatever you are going through, please don’t carry your burdens alone. In my opinion and experience, churches are safe places full of good people with compassionate hearts and professional skills that can make a great difference in the healing of our lives. All we have to do is simply ask for what help we truly need.

Points to ponder

What issues am I currently facing? What burdens am I still carrying? Am I willing to ask Christ for help? Am I ready to ask someone I can trust for support and guidance?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, too often we think that we are strong, don’t need help, and can deal with our own issues. Enable us to stop disabling ourselves by reaching out to others who can offer us patience and help, understanding and compassion. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s latest psalm drawings based on a verse from Psalm 138. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this Link: Psalm 138.