Category: Devotions

The Bread of Life

Have you ever gone to a restaurant hungry? Starving hungry! And they bring bread to the table and you eat it all and even get a refill on the bread because it’s SO GOOD!

By the time the food arrives, if you’ve eaten too much bread, you don’t even really want what you ordered because you are so full.

So often, we look for things that we think will satisfy the needs, and desires inside of us. We are desperate to find something to satisfy the longings and cravings we feel.

We might turn to food, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. We look to people or things to satisfy these cravings, not realizing that these vices don’t truly satisfy…they don’t fully meet the needs, or longings, or desires that exist inside of us. These things may satisfy for a moment. They may offer a brief escape. They may distract and offer a false sense of satisfaction but it’s temporary.

The only thing that will truly satisfy you is Jesus.

In John 6:35, Jesus was talking with the crowd of people who followed Him across the sea of Galilee. These were the same people who had just been fed by the 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty.“

Just the day before, He had just fed them with physical food but here, He was talking to them on a much deeper level than just physical hunger.

He was saying to them (and to us), Come to me and recognize that nothing in life will satisfy you, completely. Nothing will adequately “fill you” until you don’t need anything more…….except me.

Do you recognize that there are places inside of yourself that long for something. There are places inside of you that feel empty, that feel broken. Places that feel a hunger for love, for safety, for peace, for joy, for wholeness; and nothing…NOTHING will satisfy you like Jesus can.

You can try. You can attempt to satisfy yourself with people and things; but when you are so full of Jesus; when you are so full of His love and His strength and His power and His glory, you won’t need anything else.

There are things in your life that currently tempt you. Even if you know they aren’t right or won’t satisfy. When you are hungry, temptation is hard to resist. But… when you are so full of Jesus, those things won’t tempt you in the same way.

When you’re full, you just don’t want anything else.

Be so full of Jesus – of the Bread of Life – that when faced with the things you used to consume in an attempt satisfy yourself, you won’t even want them anymore because you are full.

Even the Rain…

I’ve worked on a practise of gratitude and thankfulness for years but the weather is something that really affects me; and I’ve whined and moaned incessantly about it.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and we have a significant amount of rainy, grey weather throughout the year. I struggle physically, mentally and emotionally when the weather is cold, dark, grey and wet. This is unfortunate because that is a fairly accurate description of our weather for about 8 months out of the year.

Each year, as the summer winds down, I find myself dreading the fall, winter and spring months. Why do I live somewhere where the weather affects me so badly?

A couple of years ago, The Father challenged me to stop complaining about the weather. He really impressed on me that He was responsible for the weather. All of it! We often hear of big, violent weather like storms or tornadoes, tsunamis, etc referred to as Acts of God, but the reality is – ALL WEATHER IS AN ACT OF GOD.

For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. Matthew 5:45 NLT

This scripture attributes control of the weather to the Father. His hand is in both the sun and the rain.

He knows what the earth needs. He knows which areas of the earth need more or less of every kind of weather. He definitely knows so much more than I do. And if I’m being honest, I’m thankful to not have the responsibility of having to care for the whole earth and all the creatures that call this place home.

Recognizing His sovereignty, even over the weather has made a difference in how I view the dark, rainy seasons.

It doesn’t necessarily make it easier but I can recognize that there’s more at play than I can see or understand. And honestly, I have options. If it’s really important to me, I could move to a place that has less rain. It might be difficult or uncomfortable to make the move but it is an option.

The biggest change for me has been adjusting my attitude. The Bible says to be thankful in all things.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. ?1 Thessalonians 5:18?


All things or all circumstances doesn’t exclude the weather. Now it doesn’t say that I have to be thankful FOR all things – there is lots that happens in our broken world; and too many things that are hard to be thankful “for”. But… we do have the choice to look around us and to be thankful for what we do have, even during difficult or hard times.

Even during the dark, cold, rainy seasons (whether that’s literal or metaphorical), we can look around and find things to be thankful for. I am thankful for the rain because it waters the earth. Even when I wish it was sunny, I am thankful that my plants are getting water so they can grow. I am thankful that our reservoirs are filling up and the ice pack is growing because it helps during the hot months so we don’t end up with massive droughts and forest fires. I am thankful for opportunities to hunker down inside my house and get some stuff done that I might not want to, if it were a gorgeous sunny day and I wanted to be out and about.

When I look for and focus on the things I can be thankful for, my mood lifts and I am happier. Even if it’s still dark and grey and raining.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.? Philippians 4:6-9


We can absolutely choose to focus on the difficulties we experience in life and be discouraged and frustrated, depressed and anxious. Or… we can choose to be thankful in all circumstances. We can choose to focus on God’s truth and on things that are honourable, pure and lovely. When we choose gratitude over dissatisfaction, we will experience peace and joy – even in the middle of difficulties.

Are there areas in your life where you are struggling to be thankful? Can you look around, take stock of your life and find something – even just one thing – to be thankful for?

Every day I wake up, I’m thankful for another day to live and love.
I’d love to hear what you have to be thankful for.

You are His Masterpiece

I love to knit.

I was thinking about that verse in Psalms where it mentions that the Father knits us together in our mothers womb.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it. Psalm 139:13-14 NLT

I know that as an imperfect person, my knitting projects are usually imperfect and I make mistakes. Even if I am extremely careful, I often have to redo sections to get it right. But, I choose my material and patterns carefully and work to get the exact look and feel that I want. My plan is to create something that I love and that works perfectly for what I want it for.

I can’t help but think about the Father. He is perfect in all of His ways. He doesn’t make mistakes. He knew exactly what He wanted to create when He made you and He loves you the way you are. There’s no mistakes in the way he made you. He put you together with love and care and so much attention to detail.

BUT….just like a sweater that’s been around for a number of years, there may be wear and tear. Maybe the sleeve gets snagged on something and ends up with a string of the wool pulled funny and hanging loose in a way it wasn’t supposed to be. Maybe a hole gets ripped in the front of it.

The sweater is still useful, even if its a little worn. Even with snags and holes, it will be able to keep us warm and provide a layer of comfort; even if it’s not perfect and in its original beauty and design.

We are sometimes like that sweater. What God knit together in the beginning may end up with a few scratches or worn bits, We may get pulled out of the original shape that we were created to be in. Often times we end up being used in ways that don’t line up with our original design.

If you take that worn out, beat up sweater and put it in the hands of a master craftsman or craftswoman, they have this incredible skill and ability to take that piece and transform it back into something beautiful. Often times, their goal is to restore it to it’s original look and feel, if possible.

Our Heavenly Father is the most amazing craftsman you could imagine. Not only that, He is the original creator of that piece. He made you. He is intimately familiar with how He created you; with how He designed you and with what you were like before time and people impacted you.

If you’re feeling worn out or stretched out of shape. If you’re feeling a little beat up or like you might have a few damaged bits, I would encourage you to come to the Master Craftsman. Come to the Father and let Him work in you. You are not worthless. You are not beyond hope. You are never beyond repair. He will restore you. Spend time with Him. Let Him restore the beauty of your life. Let Him be the ONE who defines you, who re-creates you. Let Him be the ONE who speaks of your worth and value.

You ARE wonderfully and marvellously made and if you’re not feeling that, spend time with the ONE who made you. Let Him speak over you. Let His love saturate you and fill you until every part of you is confident of it. Let Him work in your life and He will reveal to you, the beauty and wonder that He created.

You are His masterpiece.