bread

Life and Health – Raisin Pecan Whole Wheat Bread

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Bread is a universal language! Bread has played a vital role in history for thousands of years, and each country has its various types. In the Middle East we find the Pita Bread which has become so popular here. From Mexico we have the Tortilla, likewise popular. We find the Hunzas and Indians with Chapati; the Chinese with Pao Ping, and the Arabic with Balady and Tannouri. In the United States alone over 40 million loaves are produced by the bakers every 24 hours! interestingly we find that about a fourth of the world likes its bread baked without leavening—India, Iran, Armenia, and parts of Scandanavia.

With this interesting history we turn to our own beloved Spirit of Prophecy and read: “There is more religion in a good loaf of bread than many think.” CDF pg. 316. “It is a religious duty for every Christian girl and woman to learn at once to make good, sweet, light bread from unbolted wheat flour.” ST pg. 684. “Bread should be thoroughly baked, inside and out. The health of the stomach demands that it be light and dry.” MS 34 (1899) Does it seem possible in this day and age of modern invention and so much apparently “good” bread on the market, that this instruction could be a little antiquated? Do we really KNOW what is in the bread that we buy? One thing that is of vital importance to our health, is to begin at once to READ the labels of EVERYTHING we purchase and be knowledgeable concerning their contents. It might be quite shocking to you to know that in some “high fiber” bread the high fiber turned out to be cellulose derived from wood! Equally distressing to a vegetarian comes the knowledge that Mono and Diglycerides which add the incredible softness to your breads and baked goods are derived from animal sources, including the pig, unless otherwise stated.

A few years ago there appeared an article in one of the popular magazines labeled, “Expert Calls Bread Not Fit For Rats.” Another, “Bread Buyers, Beware!” Surely we cannot improve on God’s instructions to the Remnant! The good news is that bread is a necessity, from Bible times it has been the “staff of Life” and the Lord has told us what ingredients are the most healthful. Did you know that ONE piece of whole wheat bread contains as much fiber as FIVE heads of lettuce. And we are all aware of the necessity of fiber in our diet and the latest medical findings about low fiber diets and cancer. “White flour is not the best, its use is neither healthful nor economical. Fine-flour bread is lacking in nutritive elements to be found in bread made from the whole wheat.” MR pg. 300 “All wheat flour is not best for a continuous diet. A mixture of wheat, oatmeal, and rye would be more nutritious.” Letter 91, 1898 “Zwieback, or twice-baked bread, is one of the most easily digested and most palatable of foods. Let ordinary raised bread be cut in slices and dried in a warm oven till the last trace of moisture disappears. In a dry place this bread can be kept much longer than ordinary bread, and if reheated before using, it will be as fresh as when new.” MH pg. 300-302.

Oh, how I look forward to that glorious day when we shall eat the bread from Heaven, when Jesus Himself will take us to that table of pure silver, and we hear Him say, “Come, my people, you have come out of great tribulation, and done My will; suffered for me; come in to supper, for I will gird Myself, and serve you. And we shall see the Manna on that exquisite table, and eat of Angel’s Food. May God help each of us to be willing to give up all in this life that would hinder us from obtaining that immortal prize!

RAISIN-PECAN WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Mix Together:

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour 3 Tablespoons Do-Pep

1 Cup Oat flour ¼ Teaspoon Vitamin C Powder

1 ½ Teaspoons Sea Salt

Blend IN PAN OVER STOVE:

2-3 Tablespoons Fruit Source Syrup or Honey with enough distilled water to equal 2 Cups. Warm this liquid to proper temperature for yeast to work.

Add this to the dry ingredients, stir well, and knead for 10 minutes.

Add 1 Cup Raisins, and l Cup Pecans, or Walnuts,

and knead thoroughly to distribute nuts and raisins evenly.

Allow to rise until double in bulk, push down and let rise the second time.

Then place in pans to bake and let rise double in bulk, and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

If you have an automatic Bread Maker, this is an ideal recipe.

Follow the instructions on last month’s recipe page.

Enjoy with us this delicious, healthful Bread!

Happy baking,
Marjorie Coulson

Life and Health – Whole Wheat Bread

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Welcome to our new Steps to Life and Health page. We welcome the opportunity to come into your home with the beautiful “right arm” of the gospel; and we earnestly pray, as you read the words of inspiration and medical facts, that the Holy Spirit will make you willing to be made willing to follow all of the light that God in His great tender mercy has allowed to shine on His people to prepare them for the outpouring of His Holy Spirit in these last days of earth’s history. We will be sharing our recipes with you, and we invite any of you who have healthful recipes to share them with us on this page in the months to come. Today’s recipe will be home baked whole wheat bread.

And God said, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD they God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statues, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26. What a wonderful promise from our God! However, to each promise that He makes to us, there are conditions. We must do our part. Again from the Bible we read, “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments and His statues which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. Deuteronomy 28:15. These are the conditions which the LORD has laid down for us, and He invites each one of us to accept His promise to us in Medical Ministry, 221. “The Creator of man has arranged the living machinery of our bodies. Every function is wonderfully and wisely made. And God has pledged Himself to keep this human machinery in healthful action of the human agent will obey His laws and cooperate with God.”

“We have the example of ancient Israel and the warning for us not to do as they did. Their history of unbelief and rebellion is left on record as a special warning that we should not follow their example of murmuring at God’s requirements. How can we pass on so indifferently, choosing our own course, following the sight of our own eyes, and departing further and further from God, as did the Hebrews? God cannot do great things for His people because of their hardness of heart and sinful unbelief.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 172.

Today we have before us countless medical articles proving from current medical science the many things that God sent to His remnant people over 130 years ago. Shall we not praise God for this wonderful light that will enable us to have clear, undimmed brains, that we may receive the Holy Spirit in its fullness and not disregard it or repress it? For “it is impossible for those who indulge the appetite to attain to Christian perfection.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 400.

“Bread is the real staff of life, and therefore every cook should excel in making it.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 315. In future issues, we will share with you some of the ingredients of the majority of commercial bread, and you will see why it is for our health to make good bread. “Let us remember that there is practical religion in a loaf of good bread.” Medical Ministry, 270.

Whole Wheat Bread

Mix Together: Blend Together:

4 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup apple concentrate

1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt 1-1/2 cups distilled water

3 Tablespoons Do-Pep

1/4 teaspoon Vitamin C Powder

Warm liquid sufficiently for yeast to work, and place in mixing bowl.

Add 1 – 2 teaspoons yeast and let work.

Add dry ingredients and stir vigorously until well blended, then knead for about 10 minutes.

Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Push down, and let rise again until double in bulk.

Divide the dough, shape, and place in two bread pans to rise.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

For those who have an automatic bread maker, this is an ideal recipe. Place your yeast in the bottom of the pan, add the dry ingredients, then the liquid, and “start.” We use a “DAK” machine and the amount is perfect. The amount of yeast sometimes varies according to altitude. We use a rounded teaspoon and have the liquid slightly warmer when we add to the flour mixture on top instead of sprinkling yeast on top. If you have an older “MAGIC MILL” round breadmaker, this is also the right proportions.

Lord’s Prayer Series – Daily Bread

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Throughout life there are basic needs that must be satisfied. Some are needed on a daily basis while others are only needed once in a while. The majority of a person’s time is spent in doing what they believe is necessary to supply these needs. However, there is one need that many people neglect. Consequently it is not satisfied.

Once we understand Who it is that we petition when following the outline of the prayer the Lord taught us in Matthew 6 and recognize God’s holiness, He invites us into His presence as His children. We can enter into that hallowed atmosphere honoring His holy name and desiring His will to be done on this earth as it is in heavenly places.

After making God’s kingdom and His will our first consideration, renouncing ourselves of our own will and become faithful citizens of His kingdom, then everything in the Father’s house belongs to us. The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, clearly understood this. He said, “Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours.” “And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” I Corinthians 3:21, 23. He also said, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:16, 17.

If you have renounced self and become a citizen of the kingdom of God and pray that His name be honored and His kingdom established with His will done here, you can ask with perfect confidence and expect that today you will be given what is necessary for your daily need. Some things are required daily while others are only needed occasionally or even once in a lifetime. Bread or food is needed daily to sustain physical health. The word translated daily bread, which occurs nowhere else in the Bible means necessary or essential bread. Thus we are asking that God give us that which is needful, that which is necessary for our sustenance today. It is a reference to Proverbs 30:8 KJV, which says, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me.” The marginal reading is “food of my allowance,” or for my needs.

The first petition is that the Lord will give what is necessary for our sustenance today. It does not include what we may need tomorrow, or next week, or next month, but only the daily requirement. This is not a selfish request that we would have all of our wants supplied but rather that we would receive only what we need. In this world today there is often a great difference between necessity and want. We are not promised luxuries or abundance. This is forcefully illustrated in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The parable talks about a man who had super-abundance, more than he needed, but he did not use his abundant supply to help others.

Luke writes, “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.” Luke 16:19–21.

This story presents one of the great anomalies, one of the great paradoxes in human life.

People say, How can this be? The poor pray and pray, but God blesses the rich. Friend, if God has blessed you with riches, it is so that you may be a blessing to those that do not have what you have. In this story the rich man did not do much to relieve the suffering of the poor man, who ate the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham. Have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.’ ” Verses 22–24.

In the future life, the tables will be turned and things will be totally opposite from the way they were in this world. In the parable it appeared that while he was alive, the rich man had everything and Lazarus had nothing. But Lazarus was saved and the rich man was lost. If God has blessed you with riches, it is to give you an opportunity to bless others. However, this rich man did not do that and lost his soul. The Bible here records the two unanswered prayers that were prayed when it was too late. It says, “ ‘… beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ” Verses 26–29.

Notice the message here: if you are not convinced to do what is right by what is written in the word of God, then no miracle will convert you. The Bible says that in the last days the whole world will appear to be converted on the basis of miracles, but they will find out too late that these miracles were performed by the power of evil spirits. (See Revelation 13–18.) It is not miracles that the world needs today to find the truth and to save one’s soul. What we need, said Abraham in the parable, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:31.

We’re living in a time when it is easier than ever before in world history for anyone who wants to know truth to obtain a copy of the word of God and to read it. And yet we are living in a time when there is more ignorance of the word of God than in any other age except perhaps during the Dark Ages. Has God blessed you? If so, He has blessed you so you can help someone else that is in need. We are not in this world to please ourselves.

It was not the purpose of Jesus to please Himself. He told a number of stories to teach this principle. He said, “ ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought with himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ ” Luke 12:16–19.

This man decided he had so much wealth he was ready to retire in luxury. “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ ” Verse 20.

It may come as a surprise to many that in this world, we do not actually own anything. People work hard to accumulate things, but the Bible says, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” I Timothy 6:7.

While here, we are just stewards or managers. The Lord is testing us to see how we will manage His goods. Jesus said that if you have not been faithful with the goods that belong to somebody else, how could you be trusted with more? Those who lay up treasure for themselves are not rich toward God (Luke 16:11, 12).

In western countries today the danger is not in having too little but in having luxuries and super-abundance. Having an abundance of earthly possessions is more dangerous to spiritual health than being poor like Lazarus, a beggar, and not having enough. A study of Christian history reveals that even in the time of Christ, and ever since that time, the gospel has had its greatest success within the poorer social classes.

Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23, 24. It says that when His disciples heard that, they were exceedingly amazed because they had been taught that the rich were rich because God had blessed them and favored them. Many Jews felt that spiritual riches had given them worldly riches and that the Gentiles were destitute of both and therefore left out of the plan of salvation.

But Jesus told them it is the one who has the most that is in danger of losing his soul. He said, “For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36, 37.

Our danger today is not that we won’t have enough but that we will have more than enough and mismanage the Lord’s goods properly. God supplies you with a surplus so that you will have something with which to bless somebody else. How are you managing the Lord’s goods that are in your control?

A story is recorded in the Bible of Jesus’ providing food for a multitude of people. He was preaching to them in a desert place and many hours had passed and the “5,000 men with women and children” were hungry. The disciples suggested that the crowd be sent away into the villages so they could buy food, but Jesus, unwilling for them to go fasting that they might faint in the way, told the disciples to provide something for them to eat. The disciples asked how they would be able to do that. One of the disciples said that ten month’s wages wouldn’t buy enough food to feed the multitude. Another disciple said he had talked to a lad that had five barley loaves and two small fishes, but what would that be among a multitude? Jesus instructed that the people be told to sit down. They could then watch as the little boy willingly gave his small lunch to Jesus. After the Lord had given thanks, He began to break in pieces the bread and the fish. The disciples passed it out to the people and the whole multitude, estimated at between fifteen and twenty thousand, were fed from five barley loaves and two small fishes. “So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.’ ” John 6:12. Twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered.

“The people were so excited by the miracle they had witnessed that they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” John 6:14.They wanted to crown Him king.

The principle laid here is that we should manage well the resources the Lord has given us. Just because the Lord worked a miracle to feed all those people didn’t mean that they should be wasteful with what was left over. We cannot conscientiously pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” if we have been wasteful with what we have had. The Bible has many strong lessons against wastefulness.

Another famous story that Jesus told was about a man who had two sons. “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” Luke 15:11–13. This son had plenty, but he wasted it. So often that happens when the Lord gives us more than we need. Instead of conserving and using the excess to be a blessing to those around us, we often practice luxuriousness and wastefulness.

What about the person that wastes his Lord’s goods? “He [Jesus] said also to His disciples: ‘There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, “What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.” ’ ” Luke 16:1. At the end of that story Jesus said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon [in managing the goods that the Lord has given you in this world: real estate, property, wealth, money, all those things, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” Luke 16:10–12.

Has the Lord given to you your daily bread? If not then you need to pray and ask for it because it has been promised to you. But what if you have more than you need? Are you using the Lord’s goods that have been committed into your hands wisely, or are they being wasted?

By limiting our request to the needs of today, it develops in us a child-like trust and dependence upon God to supply all of our need, for He is able. The apostle Paul said, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:18. Our Father is very rich and He has the means, the ability, and the resources to supply every need that we have. But as we read in the stories in the Bible, often times we find that when He gives someone more than is needed, instead of using it and managing it wisely, it is either wasted or not used to bless others.

The Lord’s Prayer teaches a lesson of simple dependence upon God for daily needs. We can have confidence knowing that He will supply all that is necessary for both our temporal and our spiritual needs.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Lord’s Prayer Series – The Lord’s Provision

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Lust as body function suffers without adequate food, water, and rest, when the spiritual needs are not satisfied the spiritual condition also suffers and becomes weak.

God desires that His children will trust in Him as children trust in their earthly parents to supply all of their needs. After recognizing God as our creator, honoring His name in every activity of life, and requesting that His will be done in our lives, then, as citizens of His kingdom we have a perfect right and every confidence to begin that series of petitions which involves our needs. Our first requirement is for our daily bread, not what we need for next week or next month, or even for tomorrow, but that we will have what we need for today to sustain our physical and spiritual lives.

The Bible gives a very powerful illustration of God’s attempting to teach His people to simply trust Him to provide for their needs when the children of Israel went through the desert on their journey to the Promised Land. The Bible says there were 600,000 men besides women and children (Numbers 26:51). Thus there is no doubt that it was a very large company of possibly several million who passed through the barren and desolate wasteland where there was no vegetation or source of water. It would be natural to be concerned about how the food and water were to be provided.

God had a plan and rained down manna from heaven daily, but the Israelites complained about it. The Lord told Moses that He had heard the complaints and they would have more to eat than they knew what to do with. The next day, the Bible says, “So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: “Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.” ’ And the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need. And Moses said, ‘Let no one leave any of it till morning.’ Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.” Exodus 16:13–21.

God provided manna for them every day. They gathered only what they needed for that day and any excess would spoil. Their needs were supplied. “And so it was, on the sixth day (Friday), that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord has said: “Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains to be kept until morning.” ’ So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, ‘Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.’ Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.’ So the people rested on the seventh day.” Exodus 16:22–30.

Notice that this incident was before the giving of the Ten Commandments. There are some people who, because of lack of careful study, do not seem to understand that when the Ten Commandments were given on Sinai, it was not the first time that the law was given. On Sinai it was simply a review of the principles of God’s law that were ever in existence. You can find all the principles of the Ten Commandments in the book of Genesis. While in slavery, the children of Israel had forgotten much of what their fathers had instructed them. So on the mount the Lord reviewed with them all the principles of His law.

The Ten Commandments existed before they were given on Mount Sinai. In fact, the Sabbath existed at the foundation of the world. You can read about the institution of the Sabbath in Genesis 2:1–3. Some of the Israelites did not have enough faith in God’s provision for them and went out to gather it on the Sabbath. To their surprise they found none. Every week they gathered the manna. Every day, five days of the week they gathered enough for that day. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much to provide for the Sabbath. The portion held over did not spoil. Every week the cycle began again. How long did that go on? “And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. … And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.” Verses 31, 35.

Each day for forty years God provided bread for them to teach them just to simply depend on Him and trust in Him. Hundreds of years later, Jesus spoke about how God provided for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. They do not worry about where they are going to get food to eat. Thus man should not worry either.

Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:25–34.

Jesus does not want us to spend our lives in anxiety and worry over temporal things but to trust in God to provide for what we need. Those who are not His children and do not have faith in God and His word are dependent on themselves or maybe their parents, or the government, or somebody else. But if you are God’s child, your dependence is on Him to provide the things that you need.

Although my parents called themselves New Testament Christians, my father often said that they worked eight days a week. What that means is that they worked morning, noon, and night, never having time to stop. But after they became new covenant Christians, they only worked six days because they knew God has promised that He would provide for them. However, when God makes that promise, He does not mean that you have nothing to do, but you do not need to spend your life worrying and fretting about how you are going to make ends meet.

The Lord provides for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field but He does not put the food in their mouths. Their part is to go and gather it. In the same way, when we pray for our daily bread, we must understand that we have a role to play in obtaining it.

After man sinned, God told Adam how he would have to work to get his bread. He said, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. … In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread.” Genesis 3:17­, 19.

Even though we have to work for the bread that we receive, there are some people who do not want to. The Bible has a lot to say about this attitude. In fact, the Bible has many counsels and cautions and actually curses against those who are sluggards, or lazy, or do not work. The Bible teaches that every person should be a worker. Notice what the wise man said in Proverbs 6:6–11: “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—so shall your poverty come on you like a robber [prowler], and your need like an armed man.”

God expects for us to have at least as much wisdom as the creatures that set aside stores during the summer and during the time of harvest for the winter months.

How does God provide for our daily bread? Well, He provides more than enough in the harvest season so that those who gather the food will have food for a time when no food will grow. This is a principle that is taught throughout the Bible. In the very first book of the Bible, you can read the story of a very famous man who was called Joseph. Concerning him, the Bible says that he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream to mean that there were going to be seven years of plenty and after that there would be seven years of famine.

“Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the field which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was without number. … Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.’ The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.” Genesis 41:49, 53–57.

Notice the principle that was taught in this story. When God provides abundance, you store up for the winter months or for the time when there will not be any. Praying for our daily bread is not inconsistent with storing up food in the time of harvest for a time of scarcity. When we pray that we might be given our daily bread, we are not just asking that we might be given physical bread. When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness to turn stones into bread, “He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” ’ ” Matthew 4:4. God supplies all of our needs from His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).

Our heavenly Father is immensely rich and abundantly able to care for all of His children. The message of the Bible is to trust in the Lord and do good and you will dwell in the land, and be fed (Psalm 37:3). To the person who walks in the ways of righteousness, the Lord says that “His bread shall be given to him and his water shall be sure.” Isaiah 33:16.

Not only that, but God has assured His people that they will not be ashamed in the evil time and in the days of famine they will be satisfied (Psalm 37:19). David, talking about this very same subject, makes the statement: “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” Psalm 37:25.

In this petition, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), we ask the Lord to give us that which we sometimes think we can get on our own, but the fact of the matter is that we would not be able to get it if the Lord did not first provide it. In Psalm 145:15, 16, it says, “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” After the worldwide flood of Noah’s time, God promised that, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22.

Although there are over seven billion people in the world today, God is able to feed all. If all were following in the ways of the Lord, all would be fed and we would not see people starving to death, as we see in the world today. We cannot make food because food must be given life before it can impart life to the one eating it. Since God is the Life-giver, the only Source of life, food is a gift from God. When we ask for our daily bread we are not asking for something that belongs to somebody else but for our portion of that which has been abundantly supplied for every living creature.

We ask for food that will impart, not drunkenness, but strength, as noted in Ecclesiastes 10:17. One of the problems we have in our modern world is that there are people spending their money for that which is really not good for them. The Bible addresses this very problem in Isaiah 55:1, 2. “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good. And let your soul delight itself in abundance.”

The Bible says, “Eat what is good.” When we ask for our daily bread, we’re not asking that we might have something that will injure ourselves. We are not asking for food that will be injurious to our bodies, but we ask for that which will produce health and strength that we may do God’s service. Many Bible students, in studying the Lord’s Prayer, have concluded that the main subject of this petition, “Give us today our daily bread …” is a petition for both physical food and spiritual food. Actually, spiritual food is even more important than the physical food.

The day after Jesus fed the five thousand, they were still excited about that miracle. And Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” John 6:26, 27.

The daily physical food that we need strengthens us that we may work and that we may have health day by day, but the food that we eat day by day will not provide eternal life. This is a different kind of food. To receive that food Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35. And He went on to tell them, “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” Verse 49. Even though God provided the physical food day by day that they needed, they still all died. But if you eat the spiritual bread that comes down from heaven you will never die because He will raise you up at the last day.

The people had a problem understanding what Jesus meant by this saying so He explained it in John 6:63. He said, “It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

Are you eating God’s word? Are you studying His word every day? As you study this Word and receive the thoughts of God into your mind, by beholding Him you will be changed and receive His character into your mind. Jesus promised that if you do this you will receive life. His word is indeed the bread of everlasting life.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.