“Excuse me miss, my croutons are stale.” “What! Oh no! I’m so sorry,” she said with a horrified expression… and we all chuckled at her sincere distress over this issue that was a non-issue. After all, croutons are stale or dry bread, usually flavoured- that’s what they are supposed to be! We weren’t being mean; we were just giving our niece a hard time at her serving job.
Occasionally, I’ve been known to enjoy eating a few garlic flavoured croutons on their own, but you can only eat a few because they dry out your mouth so much that you can’t swallow any more. Just attempt the saltine cracker challenge: try eating 6 crackers in 60 seconds any amount at a time. (There is no drinking or lubricating of mouth allowed.) The crackers absorb the saliva making the mouth too dry to swallow properly. That is why stale bread, though it may keep us alive, is not the best food to live on.
Still, that seems to be what I revert to over and over. Daily tasks and appointments interfere with my time with God, and soon I am living off of stale bread. The result is the same as if I was eating crackers- my life becomes dry, listless. The abundant life (Jh. 10:10 ) God speaks about, just seems to disappear, and is replaced by further apathy towards Him. One of these days I hope to make a permanent change, but I have a feeling I will be fighting this battle until He comes for me.
Jesus is our true Bread of Life (Jh. 6:32 -35) and only He gives life to the world. He promises if we come (accompany, appear, bring, come enter) to Him, we will never hunger, and if we believe (have faith in Him), we will never thirst. But as the children of Israel
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Jos. 1:8
Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face (face=paniym=presence) continually. 1Chr. 16:11
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple… When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Ps. 27:4,8
Sure, we can survive off of old, stale Word and yesterday’s Spirit for a time, but how will our spirit live without fresh food everyday straight from the Master’s table? We need Him; we need exclusive time in His presence (for He is always with us) every day to truly experience the abundant life He wants for us here and now. I am determined to keep trying harder until that happens. What about you? Let’s do this together!