One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God - Daily Bible Readings August 2,2015

1ST READING   God did not abandon His people, whom He had freed from Egypt, in the wasteland of the desert. He provided food for their journey. Today, God also walks with us every step of the way. There are times when we feel as though we have been abandoned, but it is never the case. God is true to His promises. If we feel that God is distant, it is because we have distanced ourselves from Him and not the other way around. We have shut Him out of our lives, but He is still with us. We just refuse to open our eyes to see Him.   Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 2 The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3The Israelites said to them, “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not. 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you may know that I, the Lord, am your God.” 13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp. In the morning a dew lay all about the camp, 14 and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground. 15 On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, “What is this?” for they did not know what it was. But Moses told them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”   P S A L M N Psalm 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54 R: The Lord gave them bread from heaven. 3 What we have heard and know, and what our fathers have declared to us, 4 we will declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength and the wonders that he wrought. (R) 23 He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven; 24 he rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread. (R) 25Man ate the bread of angels, food he sent them in abundance. 54 And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountains his right hand had won.(R)   2ND READING   We need a spiritual revolution in so that Christ will become and remain as our focus. The world will continue to hammer us with its lies and temptations, placing before us illusory goods in order to keep us from focusing the things that will fulfill us. Discipleship is learning how to distinguish between the true and illusory goods and to choose those that will endure.   Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 17 Brothers and sisters: I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; 20 that is not how you learned Christ, 21 assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, 22 that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, 23and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.   GOSPEL     Jesus speaks the truth — He is the bread of life. He is not simply sustenance for a meal; He is not even sustenance, which was a sign of God’s presence with us, as in the case of the Israelites coming out of slavery in Egypt and journeying through the desert. Jesus is the food for our journey — He provides for our every spiritual need in our journey toward salvation. If we eat this bread regularly, we will remain on the path to eternal life.   GOSPEL ACCLAMATION One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.   John 6:24-35 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” 28 So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? 31Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” 32 So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” think: If we feel God is distant, it is because we have distanced ourselves from Him and not the other way around.   T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST Thank You Lord for: __________________   ____________________________________   God’s special verse/thought for me today_ _____________________________________   READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Maccabees 5-6   SABBATH PAUSE My weekly time with God THANK YOU LIST Things to be grateful for from the past week ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ SPECIAL NEEDS Things to ask God for in the coming week ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ HIDDEN TREASURE Most important word God told me this week   ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________