“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
This part of the Lord’s prayer is something many of us have heard before. But what does it mean for our lives? It can’t possibly mean physical bread, doesn’t God know gluten is bad for us? Our bodies need food on a regular basis, and so does our soul. We have to tend to the hunger of our soul. How do we do that? How do we cultivate a habit of tending to the hunger of our soul?
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:36
I had a season where I was dragging. I was tired when I woke up and had trouble engaging throughout the day. I would think, “God, this doesn’t feel like the abundant life.”
My desperate and half-hearted attempts at a lifestyle change that promised to make everything better lasted only a few days (or hours). My soul was weary and I lacked energy.
I was missing my daily bread; not my body’s, but my soul’s.
My soul was so hungry, I didn’t even recognize it. It’s like when you get so far past physical hunger that you don’t want to eat anymore; a tinged numbness.
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:36
There are three words for life in the Bible;, but let’s look at two, Bios and Zoe.
- Bios – “Breath in your lungs or physical life.”
- Zoe – “Possessed with vitality looking to the fullness of life.”
We weren’t created for just bios fulfillment, but zoe! The abundant life! That’s the bread of life that Christ came to be!
Not an easy life…
Not a comfortable life…
But a full life brimming with vitality!
Don’t settle for a bios life; just going through the motions. Seek the zoe life and experience that fullness.
He is the bread of the zoe life.
You might be reading this and thinking, “Yes! The zoe life, that is what I’ve been craving!” But what do you actually do now? This is where cultivating habits comes in.
There’s a reason He is our DAILY bread. Our soul needs care, just like our body does. But practically speaking, how do you care for your soul?
The How
Our daughter sings this song that she learned at church. “If you read your bible, pray every day, then you’ll grow, grow, grow.” She was singing it one day and it really struck me that in my desperation to find a zoe life, I had neglected these simple instructions.
The practical habit to cultivate is spending time with God on a daily basis, by reading the Bible and engaging in prayer.
I’m a WAHM with two littles and understand how hard it can be to get some time to read the scriptures. I’ve even frantically told my daughter, “Shhhhhhhhhh, Mommy is trying to read the Bible.” Hah, that was real holy of me. *Eyes Roll*
This is why the first “Cultivating Habits” post was about sleep. Good and intentional sleep enables me to get up early and have my daily bread. It makes ALL the difference in our day-to-day living.
When it comes to a daily quiet time, I also struggle with this ideology, “If I can’t do it the best, I don’t want to do it at all.” There are a few problems with that.
- Viewing prayer and reading my Bible as a task to accomplish; rather than a gift of time to pursue a relationship with Christ.
- An extreme all or nothing attitude deprives me of “some” which is better than none
I can still struggle with these, but the Lord is softening my heart.
There’s also the flip side of this, “I don’t feel like it today.” It is definitely problematic to allow your emotions and whims to guide you; there is a discipline to be had.
Practical Tips
I’ve heard some great practical habits for seeking our daily bread.
- 5/5/5 – A woman recently told me about her adult daughter who starts every morning with 5 minutes of prayer, 5 minutes of scripture and 5 minutes of praise. I love how practical and do-able this practice sounds.
- First 5 – This is an app from Proverbs 31 Ministries. It gives a quick daily devotion and scripture reading that is rich in substance.
- Bible Gateway – Did you know this app will read scripture to you?! Just choose the passage and hit the audio button. This was amazing when I was pregnant and too nauseous to read.
- A Bible Study – Doing a study with a friend or a group is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of the scriptures. It also provides insightful questions you might not have thought of otherwise. Today’s post has been inspired by Lysa’s TeurKeurst’s study “Finding I Am.” It’s a fantastic study that I’d highly recommend.
You and I are meant for a zoe life! Not a zoe life you have to earn, but one that is given to us when we seek the bread of life! It might take time, but I challenge you to cultivate the habit of spending time in His word, the Bible. Mediate on it through the day and let it change your heart because He wants the fullness of life for you.
Ressa says
What a beautiful and meaningful post! Made me realize the deeper meaning of applying our faith into practice. Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I’m sure your faith focused readers will love this
Sarah Althouse says
I have never heard of Zoe but I want that abundant life, too! Also going to try the 5/5/5/ method!
Lee says
Great tips! I think we all could use a reminder that we need to stop and turn to Christ. I forget this all too often. Your post has inspired me to take more time to read my scripture and pray. I don’t want to just exist in my life, but to live it to the fullest.
Leslie says
Very inspiring article. I will take it to heart!
suzanne warye says
OK, I love these practical tips. I am going to try the 5/5/5 method. Love this.