MARCH – THE BREAD OF LIFE
1. Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
I believe meditating in the Word of Truth brings us to a place where we delight in God’s written law. This produces intimacy between the Creator and ourselves. Once we delight in living within the sphere of this wonderful and fulfilling relationship with our Heavenly Father, our desire for worldly, carnal, and sinful living falls away. The blessing of God comes on us because we are listening to the right things, going to the appropriate places, and having the proper attitudes and words that are fit for the life of a true Christian. It is not difficult to obey the Lord when His Word is delightful and precious to us and our greatest joy is to please Him.
2. Psalm 78:1-4 “Listen dear friends, to God’s Truth, bend your ears to what I tell you.
I’m chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I’ll let you in on the sweet old truths, stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother’s knee. We’re not keeping this to ourselves, we’re passing it along to the next generation – God’s fame and fortune, the marvelous things He has done.” MSG
Some people love chewing gum. It loses it’s flavor and they throw it away. They never give it to someone else to chew! Then they reach for another piece. I would rather chew on the Word of God. It never loses it’s sweet taste. It can be digested. It helps me to grow spiritually. Whatever I receive I can give to others to help them to grow too. Then I can reach for more. It lasts from generation to generation.
3. Hebrews 4:12 “For the Word of God is living and powerful”……NKJV
“sharper than the sharpest dagger, cutting swift and deep into our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us for what we really are.” LB
“Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it – no matter what.” MSG
Sometimes we may think that the Word of the Lord is out to hurt us, to nail us to the wall and frustrate us. It really is a Word of love designed to give us hope and life as the Author uses it to identify and help remove those elements within us that are going to destroy us. It is like an expert surgeon’s knife that can remove our infected tissue so we can become healthy and strong and productive. Today let the Word do it’s life giving work within you. Quit running away. Embrace God’s operations, His Word, daily!
4. Genesis 1:3-4 “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. And God
saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness.”
God’s Word is most powerful. Once He has uttered His Word it has to come to pass. It has creative power, and in this manner all things come into being. The Lord has given us His Word to use for His glory. We are to continually speak His Word. Therefore we need to know what He has in mind before we open our mouths and say things that do not originate with Him. Notice, on the first day of creation God used His Word to separate light from darkness. A pure Word from the Lord will always separate light from darkness. That is how we identify if it is from God. It will never contradict the Bible or Scriptural principles, as that would be darkness. I want to be an instrument in the hand of God that will be speaking light Words and living in the light of the Word.
5. Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
Without faith it is impossible to please God, according to Hebrews 11:6. Therefore it is essential for me to develop faith, if I ever want to give God pleasure. I had better have a plan of action to get this faith. It is imperative that I position myself to hear the Scriptures, which are the Word of God. Now my faith will begin to increase in increments as I faithfully read the Bible and repeatedly meditate on those Words. There is no other way to get faith. Having a desperate need will not get me faith. Just praying and begging God will not get me faith. Going to church will not give me points toward getting more faith. God has declared how to build faith, so why try to conjure up some other plan when He has established the way. We need to hear, hear, hear, and keep hearing the Word of God to get faith. After all, it’s called the Word of Faith!
6. Psalm 119:97-98 “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. You,
through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me.”
True love does not come instantly, or even over night. True love takes time to develop. Infatuation can come quickly. You can be impressed with someone on the spot. But love is related to a commitment. A commitment doesn’t happen till time goes by and the relationship is tested. So also, our love for the Word of God, the Law of Life, will take some time to grow and need to be tested. The Law will challenge all areas of our attitudes, our opinions, our will, and our desires. Once we actually submit to the Word and do it, we will develop an appreciation and love for God Himself. Then we will fall in love with His Law! Our mind will anticipate receiving more Word so we can act on it!
7. Proverbs 7:1-3 “My son, keep My Words, and treasure my commands within you.
Keep My commands and live, and My law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Here is some wisdom from the pen of Solomon. It is a wise move on our part to obey instructions that God has given in the Bible, as this will both govern our lives and extend our days on the earth. We need to see the Scriptures as a gold mine filled with valuable treasure. As we fill our heart with this treasure it becomes available to us like currency we can spend, on a daily basis, to enable us to live for God. Once this Law becomes the apple of our eye, we will continually search the Word so we can obey the Lord and live under his canopy of blessings. Through the consistent practice of reaching for the bible to read and meditate on it, we bind the Law on our fingers.
8. Proverbs 4:20-22 “My son, give attention to My Words, incline your ear to My
sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh”
Sometimes we become lazy about reading the Bible. We carelessly neglect to apply ourselves to dig deeply and passionately into the revelation God has for to us. Then we wonder why the promises given by the Lord seem to not apply in our lives. Well, it’s time we do what God says – give attention, incline your ear, search for, and carefully retain what we find by digging through Scripture. Only if we truly find the revelation contained in God’s Word will it become a benefit to us and promote real Christian life for us. Only then can the Holy Spirit validate the promises given and work powerfully in us to accomplish such supernatural acts as healing our bodies and giving us health.
9. 1 John 2:3-5 “ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His command-
ments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”
To keep the commandments, or the Word of God, we first need to know what they are. The only way this can happen is to read and study the Scriptures. The Bible reveals who God is, and when we have revelation of this we can begin to obey the Words He sets out for us to respond to. Our acting on the commands is proof that we really know the Lord and His ways. This will give us assurance of our salvation and confidence in our relationship with the Creator. In this manner His love is developed within us and we mature; then we can truly serve Him with confidence and passion in the Kingdom.
10. 1 Peter 2:2 “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may
grow thereby.”
Once we receive Christ as our Savior, we become infant Christians. The proof that we are genuinely born again is that we have a hunger and thirst for the Word, the pure milk for the newborn. In the same way a newborn baby’s body and soul is nourished and comforted by the mother’s milk, the Bible will begin to satisfy the spirit and soul of the believer. There is no substitute spiritual food. There is nothing else that will cause us to grow and become strong like the Word of God. Prayer may help us, worship is beneficial, going to church is great, but all of these actions must be founded on the input of scripture in our life. Then we can pray the Word, worship according to the Word, and have fellowship with people in church centered on the Word.
11. Jeremiah 23:28-29 “Let these false prophets tell their dreams and let my true mes-
sengers faithfully proclaim My every Word. There is a difference between chaff and wheat! ‘Does not My Word burn like fire’? asks the Lord. ‘Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes the rock to pieces?’” LB
People can proclaim their opinions and ideas as coming from the Lord, but there is little power in that except for those waiting with tickling ears to hear what they prefer, who are also susceptible to being deceived. The true Word from God agrees with the principles of the Written Word. The true Word should bear witness in our spirit, if we are spiritually healthy. The true Word will have the power to convict us, to teach us, to lead us, and to convince us that it originates with God. This Word has the power to change us and to overcome the forces of darkness along with all of the devil’s works.
12. Habakkuk 2:1-2 “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch
to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am reproved. Then the Lord answered me and said, ‘write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it’.”
We are to be constantly watchful to hear just what the Lord will say to us day by day. Then, as He speaks, we should be writing it down, as there are so many distractions and voices assaulting us that we can easily forget or twist what we have received. Let the Words we receive be submitted to others who are following God to ensure that we keep on track with truth. We may need to keep that Word protected for some time as it may be the direction for our lives in the distant future. The Holy Spirit may be giving Words that will work together with what He gives others, to confirm you are hearing.
13. Psalm 119:9-11 “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed accord-
ing to Your Word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from your commandments! Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
There is practical help and power to live for the Lord. We receive the forgiveness of God for our sins regularly. We make a practice of listening to the Scriptures and taking advice from this source. We focus on Christ and seek Him passionately. We never let ourselves be removed from fellowship with those who will challenge us and keep us accountable to living for Jesus. And we meditate on the Word day and night to ensure it is being hidden in our hearts as a ready resource to keep us from falling into sin. Only the Word of God has the power to do that for humans such as we are.
14. Psalm 119:133-136 “Direct my steps by Your Word, and let no iniquity have domin-
ion over me. Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep your pre-cepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. Rivers of water run down my eyes, because men do not keep Your Laws.”
We will never have dominion over sin unless we allow the Word to work in us. We will not be able to keep the precepts of the Scriptures if we try to please or pacify people. We cannot have happiness in our lives or the joy of the Lord until the statutes of the Bible are lodged in our hearts and working effectively through our service to God. As the Word is so key to our success, let us also pray and intercede diligently for those who are carelessly or rebelliously living outside the guidance of the Law of God in their lives. Let our influence on them be greater than their influence on others around them.
15. Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets, I
did not come to destroy, but to fulfill, for assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle (letter) will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
The Word of God is eternal. It was in existence before man, it came to man through Christ, and will be with us through eternity. The Law of God is sure, it is more solid than the mountains, it is the only dependable foundation to build on in this life. Should we build on any other thing, it will not last. Today is the right time to make the right choice to build our life on the Rock that will last forever. That Rock is Jesus. Jesus is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among men. All of what we need to build our lives successfully is found in the Word of God. It will bring joy and satisfaction to us.
16. Matthew 4:4 “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” NKJV
“Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: ‘It takes more than bread to stay
alive. It takes a steady stream of Words from God’s mouth.’” MSG
How true this is. Physical food is not sufficient to give us strong spiritual life, even
though our bodies can be strong. God expects us to live by a steady diet of His written word compounded with the Word of the Holy Spirit. It is not sufficient to try to live on yesterday’s Word. That gave us life yesterday. There is a fresh Word for us every day, so we need to go to the Lord to receive the Word that is coming forth for us for this day. Then we will be spiritually nourished and enabled for serving God. So remember, continually feed the fire and the fire will continually be feeding your life.
17. John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes in
Him who sent Me has everlasting life……….” NKJV
“It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: anyone here who believes what I am
saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put Me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer con-demned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.” MSG
Jesus is speaking here to the Jews, His own people. They were standing against the idea that Jesus was the Son of God and that His Word had any authority over them. They preferred to stick with the old law that they could use to control people. They could not accept that Jesus could heal someone on the Sabbath, to set them free from the dominion of Satan. Let our minds be open to accept who Jesus is today.
18. Ephesians 5:25-26 “ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loves the church
and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.”
Christ loves the church so much and really wants her to be perfectly clean and holy. His one great blessing is to give us His Word, and by application of this Word to our lives, we become cleansed. The Word brings us forgiveness for our sins, it brings us confidence that we are sons and daughters of God, and it delivers us from the powers of darkness. The Scriptures give us healing for our minds and bodies, it washes away all wounds from the past, and removes the stains of sin we accumulated from our past life. This supernatural Word gives us hope and faith that we are acceptable to God.
19. Colossians 3:15-16 “Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in
step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ – the Message – have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense.” MSG
The peace of Christ comes with receiving and doing His Word. Common sense also comes that way, it is not simply human knowledge or wisdom. We are instructed in the Bible to let the Word dwell in us richly. To dwell means to take up residence. We have got to get past being content with dabbling in the Word, or being satisfied with a brief visit in the scriptures in the times we want something from God. Take some time daily to soak up this rain from heaven and be blessed in the transformation of your life.
20. James 1:22-23 “ Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you
are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.” MSG
The Bible calls a person who hears the Word and fails to obey it, a deceiver. We can pretend for others and fool them, but the worst thing about this is that we willingly de-ceive ourselves. This is the most dangerous form of dishonesty. It can be like putting our foot in the devil’s trap, thinking we can get away without being wounded. Today let’s exercise some faith in God’s Word that we hear and believe the Lord for good fruit in our lives as we act on this Word. It is given to us to bless our lives.
21. 2 Timothy 2:15 “ Be diligent to show yourself approved to God, a worker that does
not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”
We are to be eager to learn and study the Scriptures. Our attitude will definitely affect
what we receive out of the Word. Our earnest desire to dig deeply will determine the depth of our understanding God. It is hard work, so we need to really mean business by giving our attention to this part of our spiritual walk. A casual look at the Bible will never enable us to lay out the truth clearly. Discipline yourself to concentrate in ever increasing blocks of time in meditating in the Word of God and you will be surprised how God will speak to you daily. Your faith will increase daily. You will please the Lord daily. His approval will become evident as He arranges for you to represent Himself as His ambassador to those who need to hear the Word of Truth.
22. Psalm 119:49-52 “ Remember what You said to me, Your servant – I hang on to
these Words for dear life! These Words hold me up in bad times; yes, Your promises rejuvenate me. The insolent ridicule me without mercy, but I don’t budge from Your revelation. I watch for Your ancient landmark Words, and I know I’m on the right track.” MSG
I have made a serious commitment to the Words written in the Bible. Either I can trust God or I can’t. I believe He is faithful to all of His Word. I believe Jesus’ success was related to His absolute trust in His Father’s Word. I see that the great men of the Bible were successful because they followed the Word to the letter. It is obvious that great women of faith pleased God and became mighty due to their unswerving trust in every Word that they received. In the bad times and good times, Your Word rejuvenates me!
23. Psalm 119:113-116 “I hate the double-minded, but I love Your Law. You are my
hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word. Depart from me, you evil doers, for I will keep the commandments of my God! Uphold me according to Your Word, that I may live, And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.”
I love the Word of God because it is something that I can count on to never change. There is protection behind this shield as long as I am engaged with Jesus continually. Those who want to “use God” for their selfish reasons and ignore Him when all seems to be going well may have to learn some hard lessons. God is faithful to the faithful so I choose to be faithful. My companions are those who fear the Lord and keep His precepts. I refuse to let evil doers manipulate me and lure me away from my lifestyle of simple obedience to all the commandments of my King.
24. Psalm 119:158-160 “I see the treacherous and am disgusted, because they do not
keep Your Word. Consider how I love Your Precepts; revive me, O Lord, accord-ing to Your lovingkindness. The entirety of Your Word is Truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”
I am amazed at how many people have heard Your Word and continue to live their lives according to their own will. What will happen to them when the Lord of the Har-vest begins to distribute the fruit of whatever seed they have planted. I would rather plan ahead and sow seed of obedience to the Word of Life so my harvest will be comprised of provision, strength, godly relationships, and in the end, eternal life. It is so easy to live for God when I love His precepts. I am revived by joy daily. I experience His lovingkindness in the nighttime. His mercies are new every morning to me.
25. John 15:9-10 “I’ve loved you the way My Father has loved Me. Make yourselves at
home in My love. That’s what I’ve done – kept My Father’s commands and made myself at home in His love.”
There is such a confidence that abides within us when we keep the commands of God. This is the only thing that can enable us to be “at home” with Him. He wants us to be comfortable in our relationship. We are His friends. We are His sons and daughters. There is nothing to be afraid of any more. There is nothing to be anxious about. All our needs are being met. Tomorrow we will abide in His love. Our enemies are being scattered and the future is secured in Christ. Eternity with God is our destiny; the Word has guaranteed that. We are being nurtured in the Body of Christ, our fellowship is with those who are at home with the Lord just as we are.
26. John 15:7-8 “ If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you will ask what
you desire, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples.”
The point of asking for something from God is that He would be glorified in the abun-dance of fruit we bear as He answers our prayers. So the secret in asking for some-thing from God is to have Him tell us what we should ask for. There is a guaranteed positive response from our Father to the right desires in men. Once I have the Word abiding within me, the Holy Spirit can quicken the specific Word, or reveal the mind of God concerning how I should pray. Bingo! An answer from God every time! Glory going to God every time I pray! A life of bearing good fruit for me as I serve Him. And a testimony to all who see in me that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ!
27. Psalm 119:129-131 “Every Word You give me is a miracle Word – how could I help
but obey? Break open Your Words, let the light shine out, let ordinary people see the meaning. Mouth open and panting, I wanted Your Commands more than anything. MSG
Every Word of God is supernatural. Every Word He gives has the potential to produce a miracle. For instance, the Bible says we are born again by believing and receiving the Word of God. Being born again is supernatural, or a miracle. It is so important for the gospel words to be planted and abiding in people. That is the potential for a mira-cle to happen. Look at it this way – ordinary people, having received salvation, are walking about the earth with the potential to produce a supernatural act if the power of the Word in them is released. God is carefully watching over His Word to do it.
28. Luke 1:37-38 “For with God, nothing will be impossible. Then Mary said, ‘behold,
the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to Your Word.’ Then the angel departed from her.”
This angel came to Mary with the Word of the Lord. His announcement declared that something impossible was to happen, that Jesus would be conceived in her womb. But Mary had an important part to play in this unusual act of God. For the Seed of God to be planted within her, Mary had to give consent to the Lord to use her body for His purpose. Immediately upon her agreement with God’s desire, she received the Word – Seed that was Jesus. That’s why John wrote in his Gospel, that Jesus was “The Word,” and the Word became flesh. Our Heavenly Father is always looking for His people to partner with Him so His Word can become reality on earth.
29. John 12:47-48 “And if anyone hears My Words and does not believe, I do not
judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My Words, has that which judges him – the Word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”
The Word has many applications for our lives. First of all, it is the way God has provid-ed for man to be saved. It also is the way to grow in faith, and to have peace on the earth. This Word is declared to be medicine to all our flesh, or healing for our bodies. Through the Word abiding in us we remain attached to Christ, the Vine, and life keeps flowing through Him to us. Then John says that the Word also judges us. If we have heard the Word of God and live contrary to what it says, we will be held accountable and will come under the discipline of the Lord.
- Jonah 1:1-3 “Now the Word of the Lord came to Jonah the son ofAmittai, saying,
‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness
has come up before me.’ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
Jonah decided that the wicked people of Nineveh didn’t deserve the mercy of the Lord. He knew the Lord would forgive them if he went there to call them to repentance. So he determined to run from God’s Word. He even paid to be disobedient. He went out of his way to catch a ship sailing in the opposite direction. The Word of the Lord will follow us even if we rebel against God, and we may be miserable until we repent.
- Genesis 21:1 “And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did to
Sarah as He had spoken.”
Genesis 22:1 “Now it came to pass after these things that God appeared to
Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’”
Genesis 24:1 “Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had
blessed Abraham in all things.”
As we look at these 3 passages there is something to consider. God did for Sarah exactly what He had spoken to her. God keeps His Word. Abraham and Sarah received the promise of a miracle child when they were past child bearing age. Now look at the attitude of Abraham in chapter 22 verse 1. As soon as God called, His servant Abraham was available for anything God wanted to command him to do. This man of faith had no idea of the difficulty of the order. But look at the results of their obedience – “the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.” This is what we too can anticipate from God if we believe His Word, obey His Word, and make ourselves available for God to use us for His Glory! We begin with hearing what God says, we continue by responding correctly to what He has said, and we finish by living with the blessings He has commanded on our lives. Amen!