Several years ago, I was struggling with my weight creeping up after menopause hit with a vengeance. Out of sheer frustration, I turned to the keto diet to get rid of the extra pounds. Was I successful? You bet! But, I soon learned it wasn’t realistic. There was no way to maintain this extreme eating plan. I emerged from that diet realizing that God didn’t intend for us to deprive ourselves of a major food group He created.
How did I come to this conclusion? It wasn’t overnight, but at some point in that food journey, I realized at many junctures my body was craving carbohydrates, especially bread. Healthy bread. After some research, I came to the conclusion that healthy bread provides nutrients, fiber and ingredients our body needs. God knew that from the outset.
Why am I spending time discussing “bread” of all things when it’s the beginning of a new year?
Throughout the Bible, Jesus has many names. He refers to Himself most often as “Son of Man”, but we also read He is called “Son of God”, “Immanuel” and “Messiah”. I have a book I’ve been using occasionally in my devotions as it covers many names for God and Jesus.
In the book of John, Jesus refers to Himself more than once as “the bread of life”.
Some believe this name goes back to when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. The people were ecstatic to be free from bondage. They had been slaves for centuries, and as the Bible states in Exodus 3, “God heard their cry”. Their freedom didn’t come overnight. It was a process. After 9 horrible plagues, Pharoah’s heart was so hard, and he refused every plea Moses made as God’s spokesmen on behalf of the people. But when Pharoah’s firstborn son was killed in the last plague, Pharoah finally got the message and relented. He released God’s people, the Israelites.
That was far from the end of the story. There are many miracles on the way as the people make their way to the Promised Land. But we will fast forward to when God parted the Red Sea and allowed His people to cross on dry ground.
As the people were out in the desert, they didn’t have major provisions. Needless to say, there wasn’t a Chick-fil-A or Zaxby’s on the corner for them to stop and grab a bite when they were famished from their journey. So what did the people do? How did God provide?
Exodus 16 tells us the story that God told Moses he would “rain down bread from heaven for you”. God already had a plan; He provided manna daily for His people. Manna was a white, flaky substance that miraculously appeared every morning on the ground. It appeared every morning as the dew evaporated, and the people had to gather it themselves. They couldn’t save it or it would spoil. They could eat it or grind it and use it for bread. I read it was sweet like honey, and a wafer consistency.
Raining down manna daily was just one of numerous ways God taught the Israelites to depend on Him.
But why would Jesus refer to Himself as the “bread of life”?
Just like this manna that miraculously rained down from heaven, Jesus came from heaven as well. He was God who put on flesh and bones and gave up His position of authority/royalty/sovereignty to come to earth as an innocent baby. Just as God had provided physical nourishment and sustenance for the Israelites by sending manna, He has done the same for our spiritual souls by providing Jesus.
Just as bread is an essential for our physical bodies and supplies vitamins, minerals and nourishment, Jesus is an essential for our spiritual body. He satisfies and quenches the longing and deepest desire within us. Having Jesus in our heart/life is not just a choice; God allows it to be as He gave us the gift of free will. But having a relationship with Jesus and “feasting” on Him, if you will, is what life is all about.
And just like manna, Jesus is white, pure and holy. When we “taste” and experience Jesus, we know He is sweet like honey in manna.
It’s not enough to believe in Jesus. The Bible tells us in James 2:19 that even the demons in hell believe in Jesus. We need to accept this free gift from God, and ask Him to come in and take up residence – and change us to be more like Himself and the Father. Accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord is a one-time decision of praying and acknowledging that Jesus died in your place, and you want Him to cleanse you of your sins and come in to take up residence…to be your Savior.
But living as a disciple of Jesus is a lifelong process of faith and obedience. I love how the manna could not be stored up for later. As a follower of Jesus, we know that Jesus gives us enough faith for each day. We can’t borrow the faith of our parents or grandparents; we can’t share the faith of a good friend. Just as each Israelite had to collect his/her own manna, so we, too, have to “work out our own faith with fear and trembling”. That doesn’t mean we’re scared to come into His presence. It just means that each day, we must rely on Him to meet our every need.
And there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves. The people were totally dependent on God for their sustenance. So are we. Kindness, doing for others, having an excellent work ethic and good works will not satisfy or get us to heaven or have a relationship with God/Jesus. Those “good deeds” come as a byproduct once we know the “Bread of Life”.
As you pause to reflect on 2025 and think of goals/activities for 2026, ask yourself these questions in light of Jesus’ name: Bread of Life.
Do I have the Bread of Life or am I looking to material things, family, work and other substitutes?
Am I looking to Jesus alone to fill me up? Am I spending time with Him daily, in prayer and Bible reading/studying to know Him? Am I feasting on Him and his Word?
Am I turning to substitutes from this world to fill me up, even if He is my Savior? Just like I “longed” for bread while on the keto diet, our souls will do the same when Jesus is a missing component.
Beginning a new year is always the perfect time to begin a new habit. Just as each of us needs daily bread, may you partake of the true “Bread of Life” as you spend time with God in His Word and take time to feast on Him in prayer as well. Thank God for sending Jesus, just as He did manna. He is truly our Bread of Life. Don’t miss out on this essential “food group”.
Laura's Lines 