I am sure you have noticed that there are different taste buds that we all have. For some of us there is nothing better than a big bowl of tortilla chips with a side of salsa and guacamole. For others, it is sheer delight to see a bowl of candy and have that sweet tooth satisfied. And for some, nothing will satisfy unless it is pure decadent chocolate!

For my family it is BREAD!  We love it sliced, pulled from the loaf, covered in butter or just plain! We love it served warm or cold and topped with seeds, grains or just plain sourdough! WE love bagels, rolls, muffins, croissants, cinnamon rolls, cookies and cupcakes. We certainly would never turn down a delicious slice of cake. But more than anything, we love BREAD!

From the time my first granddaughter could sit on the top of the kitchen counter without falling over, we have baked together. Every season it is a new batch of the seasonal favorite. We have aprons for every occasion and we plan our times together around our “Baking Adventures!”  Her third birthday party was actually a Baking Party! She had a chef’s hat and apron for that event. She calls herself, “Mamma’s Little Baker,” and earned her nick name “Cami Cakes”, from her love of baking. She is now 9 and has begun to bake on her own at home. She has a wonderful Mom who lets her try out recipes and cook up a few favorites. The family baking tradition continues as our second granddaughter is being schooled in the art of baking and loves to sit up on her kitchen counter and help her daddy make waffles from scratch or her mommy make cookies.  

My grandma taught me to bake and my favorite recipes to this day are the ones she handed down to me! In case you haven’t figured it out yet….YES, my family also loves to eat all of the delectable baked goods we make. However, at the top of everyone’s list is BREAD. That same first granddaughter was not even two when she was caught gnawing on a sourdough loaf as her PAPA pushed her in a stroller (She still does that today, aloughth she can now sit upright and hold the loaf, and does not require a stroller)! Bottom line, WE LOVE BREAD!

Bread is nourishing, satisfying and filling. Bread can be defined as food or sustenance. To “Break Bread,” is to eat a meal in companionship with others. It is also the definition we give to what we in the church call COMMUNION. We remember together the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on our behalf as His body was broken.

You may have already guessed it…this week the I AM statement of Jesus that we are reflecting on is,

“I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.”  JOHN 6:35

In the very first “I Am,” statement of Jesus He declares Himself to be “THE BREAD OF LIFE!  Jesus finds Himself in a discussion about manna. Manna was the miraculous bread that God provided from heaven for His people, Israel, as they wandered in the desert. This BREAD kept the people of God alive while they wandered! Yet, they eventually did die. 

Jesus is telling us here that He is not only our BREAD of sustainment as we “wander” this earth, but He is more, so much more than that! He is THE BREAD OF LIFE! Not just life on this earth, that is sustainment, but LIFE ETERNAL!

“FOR MY FATHER’S WILL IS THAT EVERYONE WHO LOOKS TO THE SON AND BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, AND I WILL RAISE THEM UP AT THE LAST DAY.”  

JOHN 6:40

Jesus makes a bold statement here and declares that believers in Him will have endless life if they believe in and follow Him!

PRAISE GOD! Not only do we get to savor sourdough, but we get to be sustained and saved into eternity by the One True BREAD OF LIFE, JESUS CHRIST!

All we have to do is believe in and follow Him. He has made that as easy as “following a recipe!”  Now we can all be cooks!

Bon Appetite!

Until next week, savor the flavor of the Savior! He loves you SO!

Speak Truth Love