After Jesus’ baptism, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The enemy came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered by saying, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:1-4
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” What did Jesus mean by this? Surely we need food to survive! When Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, He showed that every word that proceeds from the mouth of God should be more precious to us than the food itself. How does the word of God become precious to us? There is a verse in the bible that I love so much. It goes like this, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter said to Jesus, “Go away? To whom?” How could they go away after they had left all to follow Him, and find all in Him? They knew no other teacher. Go away? How could it be, when Jesus’ words are spirit and eternal life?
“To whom shall we go’ implied that they encountered the Living Word. They knew that he alone was able to save them. There was no one else who could teach them. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the scribes were corrupt and unable to guide them; and though the doctrines of Jesus were mysterious, they were the only doctrines that could instruct them. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to get to a place where we realize that though the words in the bible are very mysterious and oftentimes very hard to understand, they are the only words that can truly guide and save us. After we have tasted and seen how rich the words of God are, may we like Peter say, “Oh Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” We have to get to a place where we recognize that the Words of Jesus Christ are much more valuable than the material and earthly desires we have.
Sister, although you live in a physical body, what gives you life, what allows your physical body to live and breathe, is not food, but all the words of Jesus Christ. These words give you faith and give you the assurance that you can depend on God, that God is truth. You may ask if there is a practical aspect to these words? There is. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights and He is alive today. Is this an illustration? The point here is that He has not eaten anything, any food for 40 days and nights. He is still alive! This is the powerful evidence behind His phrase This truth, the word of God—whether its content is long or short—it can let you live, give you life; it can enable you to find, within itself, truth, clarity about life’s journey, and enable you to have faith in God.
Today, ask yourself the following:
- Have I found the words of Jesus to be precious and more valuable than my earthly desires?
- Do I truly believe that His words are precious?
- Do I delight myself in the Word?
- How is God speaking to me right right now? What is He saying?
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Angelisa is a Jesus enthusiast, Worship leader & Christian youth leader. She considers herself to be the old-fashioned type of girl who loves spicy food and belly bottom laughter. Among her passions are singing, working with children, and encouraging others.