Divine Musings

A taste of Divine Musings demonstrating the images presented of biblical terms and how they apply to our lives.

Bread of Life
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

A self-description of Jesus,
Equating Himself with bread—
The primary means of sustaining life,
A staple food, basic dietary item.
So common an item,
Synonymous for food in general.
As the Bread of Life, Jesus is saying
He is essential for not only physical life,
But spiritual life as well.
Physical bread that perishes
Feeds a life that perishes,
While spiritual bread creates a life
Imperishable, enduring to everlasting life.
We cannot separate Christ,
As the Bread of Life, from what He gives.
His personality is the center
Of His gift to the world.
That He should give such bread is much;
That He should be such bread is far more.
That this bread came down from heaven
Points to His incarnation,
The Son of God.
Jesus was saying,
That all your good works,
All your religious experiences,
Cannot feed you.
“Only I, as the Bread of Life
Can truly sustain you;
Only I am your Source of life.”
By eating this Bread of Life,
You become part of Him,
One with Him,
A complete integration
Of His being with ours.
As bread is necessary for earthly life,
This Bread of Life is precious for
Eternal life. Jesus did not come
To meet our physical desires,
But to be our treasure
Above everything in this world.
He paid the full penalty for our sin;
He freely gave His perfect righteousness
To those who believe in Him
As the true Bread of Life.

I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. (John 6:48 51)

Curtain (of the Temple)
And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. (Exodus 26:33)

A barrier to man
From God’s presence.
Located in the temple,
Thickness of a man’s hand,
With a height of almost sixty feet.
A formidable wall in the eyes of men.
Referred to as the temple’s “inner veil
Before the Holy of holies.
No simple curtain—
Made of blue, purple, scarlet yarn,
Finely twisted linen.
Cherubim worked into it
By a skilled craftsman.
Hung from gold hooks,
On an acacia wood frame.
Purpose: to separate
The clean from the unclean,
The holy from the profane.
Demonstrating God’s holiness,
The fallen nature of men.
Concealed a most sacred object,
The ark of the covenant.
Upon the death of Jesus,
With atonement for our sins,
This curtain not just torn,
But torn in two from top to bottom,
Implying that God Himself
Tore this veil.
It could never again perform
Its function. No longer is there
A physical barrier to God.
Reentry into the presence
Of God once again permitted
For the first time since
That fall in the garden.
Through the atoning death
Of Jesus, by His blood,
Believers now have access
To the presence of God.
No longer is there a curtain;
No longer does sin bar our way.
We now enter the Holy of holies
With confidence and boldness
Through faith in Jesus
As our Lord and Savior.

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. (Matthew 27:51)

Humility
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
(James 4:6)

Humility, grounded in the
Character of God.
The Father stoops down
To help the poor and needy.
The Son exhibits humility
From manger to cross.
Proverbs sums up humility’s meaning:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Deceive not yourself with vanity or lust.
It is trusting God
To show us the righteous path,
Through prayer, meditation, fasting.
It requires us to open our hearts,
Withdraw the arrogance of our ego.
Humility is the fear of the Lord,
Recognizing the magnificent
Power of God.
It is doing nothing out of
Vain pursuit or selfish ambition.
It is valuing others above yourself,
Looking to their interests,
Not your own.
Humility is the opposite
Of arrogance, boastfulness, vanity.
By humility we acknowledge
That God created us for His purposes,
Not for our own self-glorification.
By humility we acknowledge
The dignity of God’s people.
By humility we turn
Enemies into friends.
Jesus was not ashamed
To humble Himself as a servant,
Even to death on the cross.
In His humility,
He was obedient to the Father.
As such, the Christian should
Be willing to put aside
All selfishness,
And submit in obedience
To God and His Word.
True humility produces
Godliness, contentment, security.
The humble man submits to God’s will.
He repents of his sins,
Refuses to speak evil of his neighbors,
Declines to boast of his achievements.
The humble man recognizes
That his every failure to do good
Is sin against God.
We must confess,
Put away all pride.
If we exalt ourselves,
We place ourselves
In opposition to God,
Where God, in His grace,
Will humble us.
If we humble ourselves,
God will exalt us.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. (Colossians 3:12)