July 7, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, Friday ODB Message
Read July 7, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, ODB Devotional Message for Friday By J Kirsten Holmberg
TOPIC: Chocolate Snowflakes
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Job 34–35; Acts 15:1–21
KEY VERSE: When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. Exodus 16:15
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Exodus 16:4–7,13–17
INSIGHT FOR TODAY
Having crossed the Red Sea, which was the final act of their liberation from Egypt, the Israelites transitioned on to Sinai. The elements of the transition include a season of worship at the Red Sea (15:1–21), cleansing the bitter waters at Marah (vv. 22–27), God’s provision of manna and quail (ch. 16) and water from the rock (17:1–7), a battle against the Amalekites (vv. 8–16), a leadership summit with Jethro (ch. 18), and their arrival at Sinai (ch. 19). At Sinai, God reintroduced Himself to His chosen people, and Israel further transitioned from being a massive extended family to becoming a nation with laws. (written by Bill Crowder)
July 7, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional MESSAGE:
Residents of Olten, Switzerland, were surprised by a shower of chocolate shavings covering the entire town. The ventilation system at a nearby chocolate factory had malfunctioned, sending cocoa into the air and dusting the area with confectionary goodness. The chocolate coating sounds like a dream come true for chocoholics!
While chocolate doesn’t adequately provide for one’s nutritional needs, God supplied the Israelites with heavenly showers that did. As they traveled through the desert, they began to grumble about the variety of food they’d left behind in Egypt. In response, God said He would “rain down bread from heaven” to sustain them (Exodus 16:4). When the morning dew dried up each day, a thin flake of food remained. Approximately two million Israelites were instructed to gather as much as they needed that day. For forty years of their desert wanderings, they were nourished by God’s supernatural provision in manna.
We know little about manna except that it was “white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey” (v. 31). Though manna may not sound as appealing as a steady diet of chocolate, the sweetness of God’s provision for His people is clear. Manna points us to Jesus who described Himself as the “bread of life” (John 6:48) that sustains us daily and assures us of life eternal (v. 51).
REFLECT: How has God provided for you? How does Jesus being the “bread of life” encourage you to trust Him?
PRAY: Father God, thank You for providing for my deepest need in Jesus and sustaining me every day.
Our Daily Bread Devotional 7 July 2023 || ODB for Friday Message . Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet.
READ MORE TOPICS: OPEN HEAVENS, OUR DAILY BREAD, IN TOUCH, SEEDS OF DESTINY, STREAMS OF JOY, JOEL OSTEEN, MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE, DCLM DAILY MANNA, UCB WORD FOR TODAY