From God comes…
From God comes sustenance. Sustenance can be defined as nourishment or living support. We need sustenance to survive physically and spiritually as well.
The way God designed our bodies to be self-sustaining is amazing. The heart expands and contracts about 100,000 times per day, pumping 5 to 6 quarts of nutrient rich blood each minute, approximately 2,000 gallons per day. In addition, we need physical food and water to sustain our lives as well. No wonder the Bible is full of analogies comparing our physical needs to our spiritual needs.
Jesus wants to live in our hearts. (Ephesians 3:14-17) He doesn’t just want to visit; He actually wants to live there. From our hearts, He can make sure we are rooted and grounded in love. He can motivate and inspire us. He can guide our thoughts, our will, our emotions, our actions, and so much more.
Jesus refers to Himself as the Bread of Life. (John 6:35, 48) When Jesus made this reference, He had just fed the multitude. People witnessed this miracle and wanted to see more supernatural signs. Instead, Jesus redirected their focus from the physical to the spiritual. He told them that He is the Bread of Life. He is the very source of life itself. Only Jesus can satisfy our deep spiritual hunger. He is the deep sustenance for our souls. Without Him we are undernourished and unable to experience the fullness of life He wants for us.
Only Jesus can give us living water. (John 4:10, 13, John 7:37-39) Science says that our bodies are over 98% water. Humans can live weeks without food, but only a few days without water. There is no substitute for water. There is also no substitute for the spiritual living water we can only get from Jesus. It comes from having a relationship with God. Living water gives us purpose and hope. Only Jesus can offer this living water to a dying world.
A favorite old book and movie I enjoy is Auntie Mame. Auntie Mame is a flamboyant lover of life living in the late 1920s to the mid-1940s. One line I always remember her saying is, “Life is a banquet but most poor suckers are starving to death.”
Well, life is a spiritual banquet when we yield to God and enter into a relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. Our spiritual needs become paramount to our existence. From God comes our spiritual sustenance. Only God can supply a healthy spiritual heart, the Bread of Life, and living waters. These can help us not only to survive, but to thrive.
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“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God…”
~James 1:17 (NLT)
