Paul’s Recipe for Daily Bread

What are you doing for Mother’s Day this year? 

We sure can’t crowd the restaurants this Sunday, so I have a bread recipe that might come in handy. Unfortunately, a new batch has to be prepared each day, but it is worth the effort. You only have to “taste and see” to know it is good.  

Not everyone bakes, however. So, you might want to make enough to share. 

There are a lot of hungry people out there 

Brandon Hicks’ mom is probably not going to feel like celebrating Mother’s Day this Sunday. 

Her son is sitting in an Austin jail, charged with a felony. He shoved a park ranger in the lake after the ranger issued him a warning to “distance” himself from his friends.  

The news is showing a lot of these stories lately. 

I remember the news clip of the woman grabbing toilet paper from another woman’s shopping cart. (Granted, the woman had filled two carts with toilet paper, leaving none for anyone else.) My guess is that neither of the shoppers was pleased to see the cell phone video of their argument on the news that evening. 

Then there was the video of the woman with her mask hanging off one ear, screaming in someone else’s face because they weren’t “distancing.” I’m sure her friends and family didn’t miss the irony when they saw that viral video. 

Some people are out of patience and causing problems. But most people are still continuing to make good choices. When the park ranger was shoved in the water, there were a lot of people who came to his aid. Brandon Hicks was quickly identified and arrested, and the ranger’s rescuers returned to their lives and their happy day at the lake. 

Everyone could use a little bread these days 

I can’t imagine I would ever shove a park ranger in the lake. I can’t imagine that I would choose to do a lot of the things I see people doing. 

But, I can imagine and, in fact, remember times I have run out of patience with someone and made a dumb choice. You probably can remember some of those times in your life as well.  

The virus is probably going to slow down, but it isn’t going to be gone until a vaccine is approved and supplied to the masses. A friend’s wife teaches school, and she was told to prepare to teach in the fall but to keep all her “homeschool” computer apps current. The district is assuming they will need to close the schools and resume the learn-at-home structure for a period of time this fall. 

People are looking for peace in the news, but it isn’t there. Luckily, we have a recipe in Scripture. 

If you want peace, ask Paul for his recipe 

The apostle Paul wrote great instructions for people seeking peace. He said, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). 

Paul’s words are a recipe for peace, which could be called our “daily bread.” 

Paul’s recipe for daily bread 

1. Mix one part joyful hope. 

Christians can find the patience to wait for things to improve because we know that we always have the hope of eternal life with Jesus. We have the assurance of this hope through his Holy Spirit, and we have the godly priorities that our hope of heaven provides. 

We can find joyful hope in our faith, even if we can’t find it in the news. 

2. Stir in one part patience. 

There are very few of us who have endured tribulation like Paul endured, yet he could write, “Be patient in tribulation.”  

People today are running out of patience because we want certain things that aren’t on the shelf. We want to see family, but not just on our phones and computer screens. We want to take a trip, but to where? We want to go to the grocery store, for Pete’s sake, without feeling like the plague could be resting on the bananas we pick up.  

Paul might raise his eyebrows at our “tribulation,” but he would tell us what he told those early Christians: Just be patient. Things will get better one day, and God has promised us things will be better every day, one day. 

3. Continually add prayer.

Paul’s final ingredient is prayer. Not just a prayer to begin and end our day, but days that are filled with prayer. How do we live in constant prayer?  

We can learn to “hang out with” Jesus. 

Realize that the Son of God wants to hang out with you! 

We can talk to him all day; ask him stuff all day; ask him for stuff all day. Ask Jesus to tell you things, guide your path, encourage your thoughts, and help you fight off Satan’s suggestions. Hanging out with Jesus is like having a friend, counselor, and companion—who is always present and always perfect. 

Prayer allows us to spend time with Jesus, at any time we choose. What an amazing gift! 

Daily bread, like manna, is only good for a day 

The Israelites escaped Egypt and crossed the desert, but God took care of them along the way. Each morning they gathered manna, but just enough for the day. If they gathered more than they needed, the leftovers just spoiled and became worthless. 

That lesson has become a lesson to every one of God’s children since that time. Daily bread, manna, is all we need for today, but it won’t be good for tomorrow.  

In Paul’s recipe, the ingredients for this bread of peace are hope, patience, and constant prayer. Paul would ask us to allow God to provide the ingredients and the measurements, mix them up, and then serve them at the right times during our day.  

Jesus taught us to pray

Take a minute and remember each word of the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9–13). The first thing Jesus told us to ask for was “our daily bread.”   

We need it, and so do a lot of other people. I hope someone will give Brandon Hicks a slice. He needs it and may not know how to find it. 

Is there a Brandon Hicks in your life? 

People are getting tired and need spiritual strength for these days. The Apostle Paul would tell us to start baking and enjoy the results. 

And . . . 

To all the moms out there: May you have a blessed and happy Mother’s Day. And keep baking for them until they start making daily bread for themselves. 

Reminder: Send your Christmas memories/stories to [email protected]. I’m looking forward to reading them! 

The Solid Rock Isn’t a Comfortable Place to Sit

I watched two boys swimming in the pond and wondered what to do. The younger boy wasn’t as good a swimmer as his older brother, and, when he was halfway across the pond, I started to worry about him. I was relieved to see him finally stand up and walk to the edge.

A few minutes later, the two boys were standing on their surfboard-like raft. The older boy was trying to take away the oar from his younger brother. He jerked at it and sent the younger boy into the pond with a splash, his head just missing the big rocks near the edge.

Added to that, my husband had told me a few weeks earlier to be watchful because he had seen a cottonmouth snake slither into that same pond. I looked all over for an adult who might be watching over these two, but, after several minutes, I still didn’t see anyone. So, I made a choice. I called out to the boys and suggested they should get out of the pond because we had seen a snake in there.

About five minutes later, my doorbell rang. The boy’s mom was polite, but I could tell she was “not pleased” that I had interfered with the situation. She informed me she had been watching from the balcony several doors down. I responded politely and told her about the cottonmouth snake. She said she was aware there were snakes, but that those snakes were afraid of people and she didn’t think that was a problem. I told her that I was glad to know the boys were being watched, introduced myself, and made a lame excuse, saying, “Once a schoolteacher, always a schoolteacher.”

I still don’t know if I did the right thing or the wrong thing speaking to those boys, but it didn’t feel right to just stand there and watch either.

I’ve always loved Edward Mote’s hymn that says, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand . . . all other ground is sinking sand.” The unsung truth about a solid rock is that it really isn’t possible to sit on one for very long. Solid rocks don’t make for comfy places to rest for long periods of time. After a short time, the only way to feel good is to stand up and move around a bit. I spent some time applying the wisdom of the hymn to my situation with those two boys.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

I wish I had said a quick prayer and asked Jesus if I should have spoken to those boys. I might have done the same thing, or I might have been led to just watch them for a while longer. I didn’t take time to trust the situation to Jesus, so I don’t know if I did the right thing. I didn’t lean on Jesus because I was too busy thinking I should fix it myself.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

I didn’t know the right thing to do, so I acted out of fear for those boys. How often have I made decisions from a place of unknowing darkness only to find that it would have been better to wait? Sometimes the storms of life produce fear, and fear is rarely a right motivation for action.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

I didn’t see anyone watching those kids, but it didn’t mean there was no one watching. Sometimes it seems like God isn’t there or isn’t enough, and so there is nobody else to fix it. Scripture, and the words of this hymn, would argue that point. God has promised he is always there and always enough — and that should always be our hope.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

I doubt that will be the last time I jump in to fix something that probably didn’t need to be fixed. I just hope that the next time I see something I think is a problem I will ask God what to do before I think I know what to do. I’m grateful for the grace God has offered me in Christ Jesus, and I look forward, with joy, to the day I enter eternity and no longer need it. I look forward to being “faultless” before his throne.

In closing, I will say this. I function with the philosophy that once a person knows the right thing to believe and do, they should think it and do it. Whatever consequences come with a right choice are the consequences we should accept. Christ truly is our Solid Rock. But that rock isn’t a place where Christians are supposed to rest and do nothing.

I am trying to learn my lessons along the way about how to stand. I’m just hoping the next time I “jump” is because Jesus told me what to do and how to do it. Once we know we are supposed to jump, the only questions are how far and how high.

Enjoy your week. But one word of wisdom from the teacher in me: I still think it’s best not to swim with the snakes. Think about that and you will understand the deeper thoughts behind this blog post.