Food is necessary for human survival. That is, if we want to live, we must have food. Jesus never denied such a reality, but he raised a vital question for us to consider: do we live by bread alone?
We can find two kinds of attitudes toward life that are analogous to eating—some live to eat, and some eat to live. Those for whom eating is the goal of life only live to satisfy the want of their mouths and stomachs. They live for the moment, but fail to realize that enjoyment is only a step away from unsettled and unscrupulous living. Those who regard eating as a means of living can live in satisfaction much more easily, for even if they are only fed with the simplest of food, they can be grateful in their contentment.
All of us have a physical life to maintain, but we also have a spiritual life. To maintain our physical lives, we need food as well as money. To maintain and enrich our spiritual lives, we must receive every word that comes from the mouth of God.
When we first learned to ride a bicycle, we often fell because we could not balance our body. Once we acquired our balance, we rode with stability and confidence. In our journey of faith, we need to maintain a balance between our physical and spiritual lives, for we must strive to finish the race to we see God.
If we live merely to pursue the gratification of our physical needs, we can be likened to the people described in Amos 8; regardless of how rich our physical lives may be, the thirst of our souls has no genuine contentment. Those who love every word that comes from the mouth of God will receive the guidance of God’s grace. God’s grace will grant all the physical food and clothing we need to be fulfilled in happiness and contentment.
In this day and age where a majority of people run after the glitz and glamour of this world, it would be wise to once again consider the question: do we live by bread alone?
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