Daily Bread

I was moved today at church as Mike Bikle preached on the knowledge of God, specifically the supremacy of Jesus as seen in Hebrews 1:1-3:

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Through the sermon, he highlighted the seven "excellencies" of Jesus (Phil. 3:8) found in this passage. So good! Here they are:
1) Jesus is heir or all
2) Jesus is creator
3) Jesus is the radiance of God (my personal favorite!)
4) Jesus is the perfect representation of the Father
5) Jesus is the sustainer of the universe
6) Jesus is the redeemer of the universe
7) Jesus was exalted as the victorious ruler of the universe

Though each of these dimensions of Jesus is worthy of much attention, I will focus mine on just one in particular because I saw it in a new light today:"And upholding all things by the word of His power..." I would like to zero in on this verse.

Jesus sustains the worlds in the same way that He created them--by words that release His power (Gen. 1:3; Heb. 11:3). To uphold all things means to "support" or "maintain" them continuously. Creation cannot sustain itself. It needs continual impartation of power and energy to keep it in order and monitored. If Jesus stopped speaking over the earth, it would wear out! If He stopped speaking, we would decline and fall into decay! He sustains sustains that which He created.

Along with this truth, here is my new thought. If His words sustain how much more will I be sustained when I hear those words? How much more will my spirit be nourished when I hear those words of life? Jesus primary command is "Hear!" If His words are to be my food, then why should I forfeit my daily bread choosing the decay and decline of my soul?

A friend of mine had a dream a few years ago that marked me. Here it is in brief. In the dream he was in the Lord's presence, and beside Him he saw a garbage can full to the brim with plates of food, uneaten food. When he asked Jesus what the meaning was, He painfully responded, "Your daily bread. You don't come here. What is not taken today cannot be given tomorrow. It is wasted."

Prayer -  O God, I open up my heart to You. Would You open up my ears to hear Your voice - today! Your sheep can all hear Your voice. I can hear Your voice! Give me grace to calm down all the external noise that creeps into my inwards parts bringing disconnectedness between my spirit and Yours. Where else can I go, God? I've searched under crack and crevice of this glittering world, and I have found that You alone have the words of life. All others grow dim, stain. fade. So to You I come, I come! Daily bread, sustain me. Words of life, refresh me. I am desperate and weary as in a parched land. Give me grace to search You out, to listen. To knock again and again knowing that You will draw close to those who draw nearer still. You are worth the search, Jesus! You are worth embracing the ache of not having, not attaining, not being fully filled - yet. In You is all treasure worth having. Hold me together by Your very word today, Jesus, and let me hear it and truly live. I don't just want to be alive; I want to truly live!