Word Count: 779

Contact Jerry Ousley

Food and Drink for a Hungry, Thirsty World

by Jerry Ousley  
5/13/2010 / Christian Living

Food - one of my favorite subjects. There may be some who like food more than me, but not many. Debbie tells me that eating out is my most enjoyable part of a family vacation, and you know, I think she's right. There's nothing like poking a delicious piece of steak between your teeth and chewing those delectable juices in your mouth, or experiencing the exquisite culinary taste of shrimp and scallops.

And come breakfast time what can replace a stack of pancakes smothered in butter and real maple syrup, or a big plate full of biscuits and sawmill gravy? Eggs, fried or scrambled, crispy bacon, grits, country ham, sausage, bring it on! Just thinking about all these delicacies makes my mouth water so much, has anyone got a napkin?

Yet, as we have pointed out many times before, there are so many in this world who would be satisfied with a piece of dried bread or a bowl of thin soup. I feel guilty sometimes because we are so blessed. It is our duty to do what we can and what God puts in our hearts to help those in need.

But there's another hunger going on in this world. It may seem unbelievable given our modern press, all our communication devices and tools, but even though the Gospel is being preached in most countries of this world, still it is spiritually starving. Jesus provided the spiritual food and drink for a hungry and thirsty world.

We celebrate it in our services, some weekly, some monthly and some on special occasions. There's nothing in the Bible that tells us how often we are to celebrate it. 1 Corinthians 11:25 tells us only that as often as we do it, do it to remember Christ. I suggest that even though we may not do it formally with bread and wine, or juice, that we should in reality celebrate it each and every day. I'm speaking of the communion. Here's the story as found in Luke 22:17-20: "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 'Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.' And He took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." We may call this event by many names, but in each and every case it is our Lord's own representation of His provision for this hungry and thirsty world.

Jesus was always using examples at hand to illustrate the importance of the kingdom of God. Sitting with His disciples at the Passover supper was the perfect time to show them in type what His mission on earth was all about. He told them to drink the wine as a representation of His blood that He was only hours away from shedding for them and for the whole world. He broke the bread giving each of them a share telling them that this was His body that would be broken to feed this spiritually hungry world.

Our only hope is found in the body and blood of Jesus. We can eat a little bread and drink from the cup. But only if it is digested in the spirit is it worthwhile. We realize the fact of His broken body and spilled blood and it does something inside of us. We are of course sorrowful that He had to suffer and die as He did for us. We may weep because our sin is really what nailed Him to the cross. But we can also joy because of what He did. When we see the facts of His blood and broken body and then spiritually ingest it, we take on a new man. We are re-created with the power of His Holy Spirit within us. That will feed the world. That will give the world the drink it needs.

Yes we should be concerned with feeding the physically hungry and providing them clean wholesome water. It is important. It is a command of compassion. But never forget that food and water only satisfy for a time and then we must have it again. As we give food to the world, as we provide clean, pure water let's never forget that we can also give the spiritual food and drink that this hungry and thirsty world needs. One drink, one bite will satisfy for eternity.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by Jerry Ousley

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:

Not readable? Change text.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer