Behind the Bread

“But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” – Deuteronomy 8:18

“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” – I Chronicles 29:14

“And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” – Job 1:21

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 8, I Chronicles 29:1-16

I have a confession to make – I like my stuff. I’m the kind of girl who has a purse to go with every pair of shoes, and as my husband will tell you, I have way too many shoes. I’ve had to scale back my tastes in recent years, as the Lord’s been teaching me to live abundantly on a less-than-abundant budget, but I still have my little stockpile of stuff that I love.

I recently gave away some of my precious stuff, and I’m ashamed to admit, it was a little hard. For just a moment, I wondered if I could do without it. Maybe I was being too hasty. Maybe I needed to keep my stuff for myself a little longer. I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that God quickly replaced my stuff in wonderful and unexpected ways. My feeble attempt to be a blessing to someone else resulted in way more blessings than I deserved.

How soon we forget where all our stuff comes from (Ecclesiastes 3:13, Luke 12:20, James 1:17). In Deuteronomy 8, Moses is basically holding a review class with the Children of Israel. His time as their leader is winding down, and he is reminding them of the laws God had given them, as well as the blessings attached to obedience.

In Verse 3, he reminds them of the hunger that threatened them in the wilderness, and the provision of God that saved them – manna. And he lets them in on a little secret – both the hunger and the manna were sent by God, so that they could realize their need for Him, and then experience His goodness (Psalm 42:8, 63:3, 119:67, 71, Lamentations 3:19-26).

In Verses 7-10, Moses tells the people that they are about to experience the goodness of God in a new way. In the Promised Land, they will eat until they are full, and they will have a variety of blessings to enjoy, but he adds another reminder. Abundance is coming, and in a fallen world, abundance is frequently followed by arrogance. In Verses 17-18, Moses tells them to never forget the manna, never let their successes go to their head, and never forget Who is behind the bread.

Fast-forward to the final days of King David. In I Chronicles 29, David is passing the reigns of His kingdom to Solomon, along with a precious stockpile. For years, David has been setting aside resources to build the temple. Although the task of building is saved for his son, David has led the people in giving all the materials required for the project, and it’s some pretty lavish stuff – gold, silver, and precious stones (Verses 3-8). But David puts the whole project into perspective in Verses 12-16, as He acknowledges the One behind the bread. I love these words, and I hope to remember them every time I think I am making a sacrifice for God, “Of thine own have we given thee.”

We cling so tightly to our stuff, and we cling to the illusion that we have somehow acquired it on our own. But make no mistake about it, God is always the One behind the bread. It was true in Moses’ day, it was true in David’s day, and it’s true every day of our lives.

Hold loosely to the stuff of life. And don’t get too wrapped up in the accumulation of earthly things. And when you have an abundance of earthly things, give them away and give God the credit, so that someone else can be drawn to the God who gave you those things in the first place. Everything belongs to Him, so don’t ever worry that you’ll go without (Psalm 24:1, Isaiah 55:1-2, Matthew 6:8, 32). He knows your need, and far greater treasure awaits in the presence of the One behind the bread (Matthew 6:19-21).

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Give it away. Take something from your abundance (and trust me, with God you always have some kind of abundance) and give it to someone else in the name of Jesus. Ask God to give you an opportunity to bless someone with the blessings He’s given you.