THE LIVING WORD

Today's promise: God will help you understand his Word

The living Word

Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty."

John 19:28 NLT

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

Mark 6:41-43 NLT

Break Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
As though didst break the loaves beside the sea;
Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord;
My spirit pants for Thee, O Living Word!

Mary Artemisia Lathbury

Bread of Life

One of the women who lingered at the foot of the cross had once known thirst that ordinary water couldn't quench. She had been an outcast among her peers.…She had a great need, and nothing could fill the emptiness , the void within her. Then came the day when she met Jesus. Although her accusers had already given up on her and would readily have stoned her, Jesus saw her need, and rather than give up on her, he faced her accusers and saved not only her life but her soul as well. From that moment forward, Mary Magdalene was a devoted disciple of Christ, following him even to the foot of a brutal cross. When Jesus cried out in thirst, the soldiers mistook it for weakness of the flesh and thrust sour wine to his lips. What they didn't comprehend is that Jesus' words were a declaration of his completion of his Father's work. He was thirsty because he was being poured out as an offering, not only for the grateful woman who knelt at this feet but also for generations of people to come.

JESUS, you poured out your life like an offering and gave me living water that saved and restores my soul. Help me to take that same living water and extend it to those around me who are thirsty. Please us me to reach out to the abandoned, the scorned, the unlovable, with your sacrificial love.

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for May 31.

Digging Deeper: For more on salvation, read

While Break Thou the Bread of Life is often sung during Communion, it is really intended to prepare the heart for Bible study. The great London preacher G. Campbell Morgan customarily read the words of the hymn before his midweek service.

The author, Mary Lathbury, was better known as a commercial artist than as a poet. Her illustrations regularly appeared in the popular magazines of the nineteenth century. She was a devout Christian who often vacationed at Lake Chautauqua, where she became one of the founders of a new movement. Mixing Christian inspiration, culture, and education, the Chautauqua movement spread across the country.~amp~hellip;As she sat with her Bible, overlooking Lake Chautauqua, she thought of the disciples at the Sea of Galil ee and wrote this hymn. Mary Lathbury's desire was to take Bible students ~amp~xid=nl_GodsDailyPromises_20120408" beyond="" the="" sacred="" page=""

From The One Year Book of Hymns , Tyndale House Publishers (1995), entry for February 15

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If you have never been hurt by a word from God, it is probable that you have never heard God speak.
AMY CARMICHAEL

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House