It’s Never Enough
Thursday’s Verse:
From Matthew 4:4 ESV
But Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
If eating bread were a sin, I’d be on the highway to hell.
Bread and I have always been best buddies. Aside from pumpernickel, bread has played a central role in my diet. Honestly, I could live on bread with my grandmother’s tomato sauce on the side if my doctors would allow me.
Jesus was not talking about diets when He answered the devil’s first temptation in the wilderness. He reminded the evil one of the words of Deuteronomy 8:3 - “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
That is not a rejection of bread; it is a confession that bread is never enough by itself.
Lutherans hear in this a reminder that God gives daily bread, but He also gives something greater: His promise, His forgiveness, and His saving Word. When the stomach is full, and the soul is empty, we still need Christ’s voice more than we need another snack, paycheck, or distraction.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, when I am tempted to trust in bread alone, turn my heart back to Your Word. Feed me today with Your promise, strengthen me in faith, and teach me to live from Your Word and not from my appetite alone. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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