To make bread, three key ingredients are necessary: Flour, yeast and water. Anything less would not be bread. You could argue that without yeast it will be flatbread, but I’m speaking about hot risen mouthwatering bread – the kind of bread that you keep going back for more and more! To craft this bread, you must spend time preparing and baking then you will enjoy the fruit of eating.
In comparison to making bread to feed your body, we need to take time preparing, baking and eating to feed our souls.
| Preparing | Baking | Eating |
| Spend time with God in prayer and Bible reading. (Ephesians 6:18, Hebrews 4:12) |
Allow the truths of what God taught you from preparing to rise in you. (Psalm 46:10) |
Take those risen Biblical truths from baking and GO live them out. (Matthew 7:24) |
God gives us all the ingredients for the recipe of victoriously living the Christian life (2 Peter 1:3).
Here are three key ingredients that I marinade in often as I prepare, bake and eat to feed my soul: The Gospel, God’s Characteristics and My Identity in Christ.
-
The Gospel
The gospel not only saves us, but it also sanctifies our soul. By taking the time to preach the gospel to yourself you intentionally remember the finished work that Jesus Christ did on your behalf; therefore, all guilt, shame, condemnation, fear, anxiety, embarrassment, sadness, hurt, pain, sorrow, grief, stress, distraction, insecurity, vulnerably, disgust, anger, depression, frustration, envy, and a multitude of any other emotions/feelings that are not in line with God’s Word must bow at the feet of Jesus. Out of all the “voices” that you listen to the most, allow the voice of the gospel to marinate your soul.[i]
-
God’s Characteristics
“Whatever comes into your heart and mind about God is the most important thing about you.”
“An attribute of God is whatever God has in any way revealed as being true of Himself.”
– A.W. Tozer –
To know God’s character, we must spend time in the Bible getting to know Him – for the Word of God reveals God’s attributes. By reminding yourself of who God is, your circumstance will decrease as your view of God increases.
| Sovereign | Omnipotent | Omnipresent | Omniscient | Love | Supreme | Wise |
| Creator | Eternal | Faithful | Good | Holy | Immutable | Just |
| Comforter | Compassionate | Counselor | Deliverer | Fortress | Friend | Hope |
| Life | Light | Restorer | Merciful | Generous | Father | Joy |
| Perfect | Rock | Savior | Shield | Truth | Victor | Grace |
| Redeemer | Powerful | Kind | Good | Patience | Gentle | Forgiver |
-
My Identity in Christ
The moment you surrendered your life to Jesus, your “old self” died and behold your “new life” in Christ was born (Romans 6:4-11, John 3:3). By reminding yourself of who you are in Christ, any self-confidence or self-condemnation is removed and replaced with what God says about you. The Lord has given you specific roles and abilities and we are prone to take glory for ourselves or beat ourselves up for what we lack. But when we stop and remind ourselves of how God always sees us – which is in Christ – we lay aside pride and anything else that God doesn’t proclaim about us.
| God’s child | Adopted | Chosen | Loved | God’s Friend | Justified | Forgiven |
| Redeemed | Called | Accepted | Blessed | Christ’s Heir | Dead to Sin | A New Creation |
| Sanctified | Protected | Equipped | Born
Again |
Healed | Citizen of Heaven | Righteous |
| A Saint | Filled with the Holy Spirit | Under Grace, not The Law | Set Free | Saved | Wise | Bought by Jesus’s Blood |
| Transformed | Christ’s Ambassador | Christ’s Workmanship | Cleansed | Washed | Christ’s Bride | Purified |
God commanded the Nation of Israel to make flatbread to take with them before they rapidly exited Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:3). Even though your daily calendar may be full and you are tempted to rush, don’t settle for flatbread or no bread at all. It is imperative that we as Disciples of Christ set time aside each day to prepare, bake and eat from God. As part of our preparation, let’s include the three key ingredients: The Gospel, God’s Characteristics and My Identity in Christ. I trust that as you include these elements, you will enjoy the hot risen mouthwatering spiritual bread and desire to keep going back for more and more (Psalm 17:15)!
[i] https://www.cbcocala.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/A-Gospel-Primer-for-Christians.pdf