Food For Thought

David J. Mullins: Hey, podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: How many of you actually sincerely ask God every day to provide the food that you need? We just don't do that. I mean, there is poverty in America, but the fact is very few, if any, people have to starve to death in our country. So, what does it mean for us today to follow Jesus' instruction and pray for our daily bread?
David J. Mullins: Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. In America, we've been blessed with an overabundance of food. Most of us live within just a few miles of restaurants and grocery stores. So, do we really need to ask God to give us this day our daily bread? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explores our need for God's provision in our lives. But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. You know, I've been studying the New Testament all my life, but I got to tell you, something happens when you stand in the very places where scripture was lived out. It moves from the page to real life. And that's exactly what I want for you. This coming May 14th through the 23rd, I want you to join me on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. We'll walk the biblical sites of Thessaloniki, tour the ruins of Ephesus, and sail the same Mediterranean waters Paul once crossed. Please check out the wonderful itinerary, the lineup of impressive musicians and entertainment, and then reserve your spot by going to ptv.org. Well, we're just getting started in a new series called Prayers That Really Work. So, as a compliment to our daily studies, I'm pleased to offer you two practical books on prayer. The first is for you. It's my book for adults called Spiritual Essentials, How to Study the Bible, How to Pray. The second was written by my daughter Julia Jeffress Sadler. This one is for the children and grandchildren in your life. It's a colorful storybook called You Can Pray Big Things, the perfect bedtime book to read aloud with a young child and a wonderful gift for the holiday season. I'd be happy to send you both books when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. I'll say more about both books later on, but right now, let's turn our attention to the lesson Jesus gave us on prayer. We're looking at Matthew chapter 6, and I titled this next message Food for Thought. CNBC aired a documentary about an epidemic that is sweeping across our country. The epidemic I'm talking about is not AIDS or hepatitis or any other infectious disease. The epidemic is obesity. Obesity is a plague that is destroying our country right now. In fact, we're told in this special that two-thirds of Americans qualify as being obese, and it is no secondary issue. Why in the world, pastor, are you talking about obesity? I mean, today we're supposed to be talking about the Lord's prayer. Well, in our study of the Lord's prayer, we've come to that portion of the prayer in which Jesus taught us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread. If you have your Bibles, turn to Matthew chapter 6. In the early verses, the emphasis is on thy name, of thy kingdom, thy will. Now, notice how the emphasis shifts to our needs. Notice the personal pronouns in verses 11 and 12. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors, and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We have three basic needs in life. We need provision, our daily bread. We need pardon from sins, that is forgiveness, and we need protection from adversity. And Jesus says there's nothing wrong and everything right with going to your heavenly daddy, your papa, and telling him what your needs are. And that's what we're going to talk about today. We're going to talk about this first of three needs every one of us here has this morning, whether you realize it or not. And that is for God 's provision in our life. What does it mean to pray for our daily bread? What is he talking about that we're actually praying for? Now, there's some people who overspiritualize the Bible. Uh, they use the allegorical approach to interpretation. That is, everything in the Bible has a deeper meaning, they say. There's a spiritual meaning behind everything in the Bible, and sometimes they go overboard in that allegorical or spiritualization of the Bible. And some people want to spiritualize what Jesus meant by bread. Oh, he's talking about spiritual, uh, substance. He's talking about sustenance that comes from the word of God. In fact, there's a popular devotion built around that verse, our daily bread. And it's a very helpful devotional. And it is true that there is spiritual nourishment that comes from God's word. It is true. Jesus said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but it's also true man shall not live without bread. We need physical bread, and I think that's the primary meaning of what Jesus is talking about here. The word bread is used in the Old Testament 296 times, and it usually means not just a loaf of wonder bread, it means, uh, all the food that we need. And, uh, I think it's true here that Jesus is talking not just about spiritual needs, basically he's talking about physical needs. How many of you remember from your psychology classes the name Abraham Maslow? Remember Maslow? Maslow had what he called his hierarchy of needs, and his basic theory was until a man's basic needs are taken care of, he doesn't care about these higher needs. I mean, if he 's hungry, he is really not that into self-actualization and spirituality and all of those higher needs. He just wants to be fed. Well, Jesus understood that before Abraham Maslow was ever known. He understood that yes, we're spiritual beings, but God created us as as physical beings. And because of that, we have physical needs, and we should never hesitate to go into God's presence and ask him to take care of our physical needs. He made us that way. We ought to ask him to care for us. Martin Luther in commenting on what bread means in this passage says, Everything necessary for the preservation of this life is quote bread. This includes food, a healthy body, good weather, a house, a wife, children, good government, and peace. I think that's what Jesus had in mind when he said, Pray for our daily bread. He's saying, God, give me the things I need physically in order to survive. Now, that of course leads to a second question, Why should we pray this prayer? Why do we really need to ask God to daily take care of our physical needs when it really doesn't seem we need him to do that? I mean, do you really ask God to give you the food you need for that day? It's very hard to pray this sincerely for some people because most people know that after they get up off their knees asking God to provide for their daily needs, they're the ones who have to go out and earn the bread to buy the bread, don't they? I mean, we're the ones who have to work. We're the ones responsible for providing for ourselves and our family. Why are we asking God to do this? I think there are two answers to that. I think Jesus tells us to pray this prayer first of all to encourage our dependence upon God. This prayer reminds us of our ultimate dependence upon God. Now, it is true, and I want you to follow me on this, it is true that work is the channel through which God pours his provision into our life. That's always been God's plan, that through our work we would receive the money, the resources we need to take care of ourselves and our family. In 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul said, If any person does not provide for his own, especially those of his own household, he's worth than an unbeliever and has denied the faith. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 Paul said, This is my rule. If a man does not work, neither shall he eat. What I'm saying is God's method usually of providing for us is through the jobs that he gives us. But now, follow me on this, even though work is the channel through which God pours his blessings in our life, ultimately all of our physical provisions come from the hand of God. He's the one ultimately responsible for meeting all of our physical needs. For example, the Bible teaches that God is the one who provides our food. God's the one who provides it. Listen to Genesis 1 verses 29 to 30. Then God said, Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all of the earth, and every tree which has fruit-yielding seed, and it shall be food for you. And every beast of the earth and every bird of the sky and everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food, and it was so. God's the one who gives us food. And aren't you glad he gives us a variety of food to enjoy? I mean, think about it. If God had wanted to, he could have arranged it where we have one food to exist on. One green plant, as the scripture says. Just imagine it was asparagus, okay? That's all that was available out there. So, every morning for breakfast, plate full of asparagus. Noon, asparagus. Supper time, asparagus. Bedtime snack, asparagus. Can you imagine living in that kind of world? But God didn't do that, did he? And the Bible says he provided the the the the grains and the nuts and the meats and the vegetables, not to mention the popcorn and the ice cream. All of these things are traced from the hand of God. God is the one who provides our food. Secondly, the Bible says God provides our clothing. God's the one who ultimately provides our clothing. That's what the word of God says. Matthew chapter 6 verses 31 and 32. Do not worry then, Jesus said, about what we will eat or what shall we drink or what we will wear for clothing. For the Gentiles eagerly seek all of these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all of these things. God provides our clothing ultimately. But some of you are thinking, Yeah, yeah, yeah, pastor. But ultimately, the reason I get my paycheck is because of my ingenuity, my creativity, my hard work. That's what puts the bread on the table. Now, in case you're ever tempted to think that, remember God not only provides your food and clothing, the Bible says he provides our abilities. Look at Deuteronomy 8:18. But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who is giving you the power to make wealth. Everything you have comes from God. In 1 Corinthians 4:7 Paul asked the Corinthians a very very probing question. He said, Corinthians, what is it you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? In other words, Paul was saying, Corinthians, take an inventory of everything you have in life. As you look over that inventory, what is it that cannot ultimately be traced to the hand of God? It all comes from God. I mean, think about it. Even the breath you take in every day to give you the energy to go to work, that breath of life comes from God himself. We are dependent upon God, whether we realize it or not. Even the ability to make money comes from him. And that 's why Jesus said, Praying for your daily needs is a way to remind yourself of your needs, your dependence upon God. Secondly, Jesus taught us to pray this prayer because this prayer discourages materialism. It encourages dependence upon God, but at the same time, it discourages materialism. When Jesus taught us to pray for our needs, he didn't say, Give us this day our daily T-bone steak to consume. He didn't say, Give us this day our new BMW to drive. Instead, he said, Give us this day our daily bread. In Philippians 4:19 Paul said, And my God shall supply your what? All of your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus. It didn't say, my God shall satisfy all of your greed. Instead, he will satisfy all of your needs. Bible says when we pray this prayer, Give us this day our daily bread, it's just a way to remind us not only that we depend upon God, but also to remind us that the goal in life is not the accumulation of assets. It's like Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:8, If we have food and covering, with these things we should be satisfied. Now, we've talked about what God means when he says our daily bread. He's talking about all of our physical provisions. Why do we pray this prayer? It reminds us of our dependence upon God. It discourages materialism. But the most basic question that came to my mind when I read this verse is one that most of us are afraid to voice out loud. We don't want to be struck by a lightning bolt. But it's a question most all of us have. And that's the question, Can I really trust God to meet my physical needs? Can I really depend upon God to treat my physical needs? Why would anybody ask that? The answer is obvious. When you look around the world and see that hundreds of millions of people are going to bed hungry every night. The children around the world are starving to death. Isn't it natural to ask the question, God, how can I really depend upon you to take care of me when you're doing such a poor job of taking care of other people? Have you ever wondered that? I mean, that's what I wondered when I read this verse. God, how can I be sure you 're going to take care of my physical needs when you 're letting people starve to death around the world? I think there are really two answers to that question, two insights from scripture. First of all, we need to understand that unbelievers do not have the guarantee of God's provision. Unbelievers do not have a guarantee of God's care and provision in their life. I know that's politically incorrect to say, but it's the truth of God's Word. There is no promise anywhere in scripture when God says, I'm going to take care of every man, woman, and child on planet Earth. Never did God promise that. He only promises to take care of the righteous. Listen to Psalm 33 verses 18 and 19. David said, Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him, upon those whose hope in his mercy, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in time of famine. Who does God listen to? Who does God care for? Those who are the righteous. The unrighteous have no guarantee of God's protection. In fact, look through the Bible, you'll find in the Old Testament God used famine many times to bring his judgment upon people. In the future during the tribulation, God will use famine to bring his judgment upon unbelievers. It shouldn't be surprising that God would use famine today, not only, uh, in a passive way, but in an active way as a source of his judgment. John MacArthur makes an interesting insight. He says that a nation's spirituality many times determines its level of prosperity. Wherever there are Christian principles and a nation like ours founded on Christian principles, there is always a high view of human life. And because we have a high view of human life in our country, we take care of people's physical needs. But you go to third world countries, uh, there is a high view of life. Many times the countries lack of spirituality or their worship of false religions leads to a low view of human life. And many times famine is a judgment of God upon the earth. How do you answer the question of, How can we trust God when there's so much poverty and so much hunger in the world? Well, one insight is God never promised to take care of everybody in the world. He certainly never promised to take care of unbelievers. But there's a second part of that, and that is believers, people who are related to God through Jesus Christ, do have the promise that God will meet their need. Listen to Psalm 34 verses 9 to 10. Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for to those who fear him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. The animals go hungry, but they who fear the Lord are not going to lack any good thing. Or listen to David's words in Psalm 37 verse 25. I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging for bread. David said at the end of his life, as I look back, I cannot one time say I have ever seen a righteous person who has suffered any need. Now, when I read that this week, you know what my first thought was? I want to tell you how unholy your pastor is. My first thought was when I heard David say, I have never seen any righteous person lack any good thing. My first thought was, David, you need to get out of the palace more often. You need to see life as it really is. You need to take those, uh, uh, kingly blinders off of your eyes. Go out and walk with the common people, and you'll see many believers, many righteous people who suffer need. Hasn't that been the testimony of history? That there have been Christians who have suffered great need. There are Christians right now around the world who are suffering great need. Listen to this description of how the first century believers lived from Hebrews chapter 11 verses 36 and 37. And others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword. They went about in sheep skins and goat skins being destitute, afflicted, and ill-treated. And yet David said those who seek the Lord shall never be in want. How do you reconcile those two truths? God said, I'm going to meet the needs of every true believer, and yet we look around and see believers suffering want. I think one writer said it best when he observed this promise applies to every Christian for as long as God has him on this earth. God will take care of your need, not your greeds, but your need as long as you are here upon the earth. But when God is ready to take you from this world to the next world, he might use any number of means to transport you from this life into the next life. You know, the Bible says this perishable body has to put on the imperishable. This mortal must put on immortality. In other words, death is a necessary transition from this life into the next life. And God many times uses different vehicles to carry us into the next world. Sometimes he uses illness. Sometimes he uses what we call an accident. Sometimes he might even use physical needs and hunger and even starvation to bring us into his presence. In January of 1852 the lifeless body of a man named Alan Gardiner, a missionary in England, was found in a shipwreck off of Tierra del Fuego. Alan Gardiner and his team had been on a mission journey when they were shipwrecked, and they waited there on that island for a rescue team. They waited weeks upon weeks, and as they were waiting for the rescue team, they watched their rations of water and food slowly diminish. During that time of starvation, Alan Gardiner kept a spiritual journal which the rescue team discovered once they came too late. And in that journal Alan Gardiner wrote what God was doing in his life during those times of dehydration and starvation. In one journal entry, he said that his thirst had become almost intolerable. Alan Gardiner and his team died on that island alone, isolated, physically broken. And throughout that ordeal, their faith in God remained strong. A later entry in that journal, Alan Gardiner with his own hands wrote out the verse that we read just a moment ago, Psalm 34 verses 9 and 10. Now, listen, here's the words of a man who is starving to death on an island. He wrote, The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. The last entry in his journal were these words. Alan Gardiner managed to write, I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God. Isn't that amazing? Starving to death. I am overwhelmed by a sense of the goodness of God. God promises to take care of every need you have until he's ready to take you from this life into the next one. But until that time, his provision is certain. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, Do you think that the God who names the stars and calls them by name, do you think that God is about to forget one of his own children? God knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature he ever made and the only saint he ever loved. God will take care of you. Our heavenly Father has been so gracious to supply our every need. And it was Jesus who taught us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread. Just before I turn things over to David, let me ask you a question. Have you been privately harboring a dream or desire and holding that little secret from God? Maybe he's nudging you in a certain direction, and rather than bring it before him, you've been suppressing what may be his deepest longing for you. Well, that's what happened to my daughter Julia Jeffress Sadler. And gratefully, she knew how to bring her deepest longings to God in prayer. And now she's written a book for children. As the mother of triplets, Julia was moved to help your children put their deepest longings into words so they can talk to God in a manner that truly expresses their heart. Julia's illustrated book is the perfect one to read aloud at bedtime with the young child in your life. And it makes a wonderful Christmas gift. It's called You Can Pray Big Things. And for you, I've written a book for adults. Mine is called Spiritual Essentials, How to Study the Bible, How to Pray. It will help you grow in your own conversations with God. Both books on prayer are yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Thanks for giving generously. I can assure you that your gift, no matter its size, is truly making an impact. Lives are becoming transformed, and it's because of the faithful and generous support of grateful listeners just like you. Here's David with all the details.
David J. Mullins: Today when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of Julia Jeffress Sadler's book for children, You Can Pray Big Things. Plus, you'll receive Dr. Jeffress's highly practical book for adults, Spiritual Essentials. To request these two resources, call 866-999-2965, visit ptv.org or text PTV to 78800. And when your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you this month's teaching series, Prayers That Really Work on both audio and video disk. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write, here's that address, PO Box 223609 Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's PO Box 223609 Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Most people pray for things like health, safety, and daily provision. And while none of these are bad requests, there's another need that's even greater. Hear about the importance of forgiveness. That's Friday on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in his Word. To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org/donate or you can follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go, don't forget to reserve your spot on the 2027 Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. Now, you've heard me and Dr. Jeffress talk about this Bible conference at sea and cabins. Well, they're going quickly. Just picture yourself aboard the beautiful Celebrity Infinity sailing round trip from Athens. Now, each day you'll gather for biblical teaching, worship, and fellowship, and then you'll step ashore to stand where Paul stood in Ephesus and walk the streets of Thessaloniki where his letters still speak to the church today. Nine unforgettable nights with more biblical destinations along the way. Every meal prepared, every detail taken care of, plus the joy of traveling with like-minded believers. There's also an optional pre-cruise extension in Athens. To book your spot, go to ptv.org.