Give Me the Simple Life

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This morning we continue our look at the Lord’s Prayer, and we now are going to focus on the third verse of Luke 11, “Give us each day our daily bread”. As we take a look at this, it may be a good reminder that we often complicate life. In our lack of contentment, we often are unhappy because we do not have all the things we want, but if we are satisfied in the Lord and trust in Him, we can be content, even content just to have our basic needs met.
Luke 11:1–4 ESV
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Our Daily Bread, some translators think this should have been translated, give us this day tomorrow’s bread, or our bread for tomorrow. I think either way, what we can learn from this line of the prayer will work. I think there are a few lessons we can take from this line:
We are to come to the Lord for even basic needs
We are to be content to have basic needs met
Provision may mean opportunity
Coming to the Lord with basic needs, for some people, is the most difficult thing.
It requires humility (you have to admit your need to ask)
Sometimes we think our basic needs are too little to bother God with
We need to realize he cares about even little things, because he cares for us as a father cares for his children.
What may seem like small things to others, when it comes to my children, I care about their needs and desires. Unlike me, though, God’s resources are not limited.
When we ask him to meet our needs, we acknowledge that he has the ability, the power, the resources, to do above all that we ask or think
Kent Hughes: “Notice we are invited to pray for bread, not dessert.”
Our basic needs we ask for with expectation that our loving Father will meet them.
Above that, we certainly are invited to ask the desires of our heart, but we should first evaluate those desires to see if they match up with his.
Proverbs 30:7–9 ESV
Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.
This proverb is referred to by Bunyan in the second book of Pilgrim’s Progress. Christiana wants to be delivered from the muck-rake.
When we realize our true poverty is not in our material possessions, but instead is a spiritual poverty, we will be more able to be content with provision for today, that is, what we need to live.
We are to come to the Lord for even basic needs
We are to be content to have basic needs met
Provision may mean opportunity
Contentment: Acceptance, satisfaction of one’s situation.
Content: The state of being satisfied with what one has, often highlighted as a virtue in Biblical teachings
Jesus told soldiers who wanted instruction from him to be content.
Luke 3:14 ESV
Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
Paul reminded Timothy of our need for contentment:
1 Timothy 6:6–8 ESV
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
The writer to the Hebrews commanded contentment: Heb13.5
Hebrews 13:5 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
However, it is difficult to always be content.
Many things can delight our eyes and cause us to have desires for things beyond what we should be concerned with.
Lack of contentment is lack of satisfaction in God.
This is sin.
Paul said in comparison of Christ, everything is garbage! Much better to know Christ than to have status or stuff! He would rather gain Christ, be found in him, know him, share his sufferings, become like him in his death, all to attain the resurrection. Christ is all, and in all
Philippians 3:7–11 ESV
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
And Paul rejoiced in God’s provision of what we need, not what our flesh wants: Phil4.10-12
Philippians 4:10–12 ESV
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
And how does one do this? Phil4.13
Philippians 4:13 ESV
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
We are to come to the Lord for even basic needs
We are to be content to have basic needs met
Provision may mean opportunity
Provision may mean the opportunity to earn an income, or bread
Daily work
Workers were paid daily, this was their means to purchase bread, or other food.
A prayer for provision is a prayer for opportunity.
Work is good. We should want to work and earn so that we can take care of our needs
Work has dignity.
Adam and Eve had work before the fall.
Work is part of God’s plan. He himself does work.
We will have work eternally in Christ’s Kingdom
Though we work for our income and needs to be met, God is the provider. So our prayer for provision is a prayer for opportunities.
We learn in scripture that charity is not to be given to those who will have not worked. For example, 1Tim5.3-10
1 Timothy 5:3–10 ESV
Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.
So even widows who received help from the church were expected to work. And Paul went on after that section to warn against enrolling in young widows, because they may become idlers, gossips and busybodies. Clearly, scripture warns that a life of living on charity is not a good spiritual situation, and even secular psychologists would affirm the concept that those who have no work, no contribution to the world, are far more likely to have low sense of self-worth, and many emotional or mental issues.
Therefore, the prayer for daily bread is also a prayer for opportunities to make one’s self useful to others, so that a wage may be earned to pay for the needed bread.
Kent Hughes:

The average person worries too much about achieving financial security. There is nothing wrong with planning for future rainy days, but it is wrong to allow such a goal to consume us. For some a fitting obituary would be, “He died financially secure and independent with no need of anything or anyone, even God!” This is a spiritual tragedy. Jesus is telling us, whether rich or poor, that God wants us to depend upon him daily. He wants us to pray for our daily material needs, and he wants us to thank him daily—“Give us each day our daily bread.”

We are to come to the Lord for even basic needs
We are to be content to have basic needs met
Provision may mean opportunity
When it comes to prayers for our physical needs, we need to remember these things. He cares for our needs. He delights in our acknowledging our need for him to provide.
We are to be content in our lives, no matter what. Our spiritual need is greater than our physical need.
We need to understand that while we ask God to fill our needs, we ask Him for opportunities to work and earn a living. Even the widows were expected to work if they received provisions from the church.
There may as well be a spiritual application here, as Jesus called himself the bread of life. Some scholars have taken this line to have duel meaning: not only is Jesus telling his disciples to pray for the daily physical needs, but for the more necessary spiritual needs each one has.
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