Jesus called himself the Bread of Life. He is nourishing to our spirit. He is satisfying. He fulfills our every need. Thank him today.

If you don’t have the habit of praying at mealtime, try it today. Thank him for his provision. Already pray? Say it a different way today.

What do meal times look like at your house? Do you have formal place settings with stemware, cloth napkins, coordinating dinner plates and [real] silverware? Do you have to-go boxes with plastic utensils, paper napkins and soft drinks? Do you have mismatched, hand-me-down dishes and plastic tumblers? Does it matter? What is the purpose of meal times? Meal times boil down to two things: eating and togetherness.

We have to eat; that’s a given. Cooking a meal can be a fun adventure in trying out new recipes. Figuring out what to make with what’s left in the pantry two days before payday can be a good exercise for the imagination! Even Leftovers Night can be enjoyable if you give it a silly name like “Buffet Surprise.”

Meal time is also an opportunity to pause and thank God for his provision. If you have kids, why not invite them to take turns saying a blessing for the meal? Even if they thank God for a litany of everything except the food, then it’s still a good practice to get into. Meal time is more than just shoveling food in our faces; it’s the building block of community. It’s a chance to unwind from the stress of the day, reconnect as a family and refuel our bodies. What if you don’t have a family to gather around the table with each day? You might consider meal time as your chance to invite God to join you at your table; set it apart as a devotional time with the Lord. As you refuel your body with food, refuel your spirit with prayer or reading.

The Old Testament – especially the books of Kings, Samuel and Chronicles – has many references to the king’s table. It was a place of honor, to say the least. Your dinner table can also be a place of honor – for your family and for your unseen guest. This week, let’s invite the Lord to be our unseen guest – not only at our dinner table, but throughout our day.

Jesus is the Omega – the final judge and ruler of all (Rev. 1:8). Praise him today, for we know the final chapter! Jesus is victorious!

John the Baptist (Jesus’ cousin) called him the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Lambs were sacrificial animals. Think about that today.

I’ve been trying to locate the correct attribution for this quote (or a paraphrase thereof): “Everything works out ok in the end; if it’s not ok, it isn’t the end.” So far, I’ve read that it belongs to playwright Carolyn Myers, or perhaps a foreign author whose work I cannot read … one site even cited John Lennon as saying it. At any rate, it’s a poignant thought, and I was reminded of it at Life group last night when we were talking about faith.

The discussion leader compared life to a movie script. When you watch a romantic comedy, for example, you can be pretty certain that girl and boy will get together in the end. That’s what makes it a comedy versus a drama. I mulled over that in my mind a while, but the more I thought about my life as a movie, I realized that mine is more of an action-adventure than a romantic comedy. Periods of my life have certainly had elements of drama and tragedy (not to mention that newborn diaper changes are the stuff of horror films) or even a soap opera, but alas, I think the overarching genre is action-adventure.

I thought about my favorite action-adventure actors — Harrison Ford, Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage, to name a few — and tried to plug them into the scenario that all will be well in the end. Well, usually, yes, it is. Unfortunately, a lot of things get blown up along the way, other people get hurt, and the heroes do not go unscathed before they reach the last scene.

In real life, I am confident that it will work out in the end. I’ve read Revelation, and I know that we will be victorious over the enemy, spiritually speaking. However, I don’t think that necessarily means that my life will wrap up sweetly like “You’ve Got Mail” or “Sleepless in Seattle.” The End may very well be beyond my lifetime. Does that mean that there is no happiness to be found during my lifetime? Of course not. I just believe that we set ourselves up for disappointment if we think that sunshine and roses is the status quo.

Some of the people in the Bible who God used the most powerfully to facilitate great changes in the world had crappy lives, by most people’s standards. Poor Joseph was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, accused of adultery, imprisoned, etc. Sure, he finally did rise to a position of leadership, but even that role wasn’t without heartache, as he had to organize a contingency plan for years of prophesied famine. There are dozens of other examples, but I guess what I’m saying is that I appreciated the discussion leader’s optimism, and I understand what she was saying: that we need to have faith in God, even in the midst of challenging circumstances.

I’m just not certain about the happy ending part. Many, many godly people have died – even been martyred – long before they witnessed the fruits of their labors. Humanly speaking, I don’t want to be one of them. I’d like to be able to see the tangible results of my efforts. I’d like to see the boys grow up, stay out of prison, marry godly women, have lots of grandbabies for me to spoil, and all of us live healthy, energetic lives into old age.

Instead, I feel like I’m walking a tightrope over a pit of crocodiles and lava (they coexist in my imagination) while trying to figure out the cryptic code to unlock the next passageway that will lead me into whatever adventure awaits me on the other side of the canyon.

Jesus called himself the Light of the World (John 8:12; 9:5). Close your eyes & let the truth of that statement settle deep into your heart.

No matter what is happening in the world around you, put your trust in the King of Kings today (1 Tim. 6:15).

Today, spend time thanking God, our Rock, who is steady and perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4).