Have you eaten your Bread today?

Yesterday, I did something I've never done before--I made a delicious loaf of bread. Granted, it was rise-and-bake rolls that ended up as one glob of dough, but in the end, it was, nonetheless, delicious. I'd be lying if I said it didn't constitute two of my last 3 meals. I, ashamedly, admit that I let guilt get the best of me, and I started dogging myself about my lack of self control and pathetic eating habits.

Just a few moments ago, as I was running on the treadmill at the gym, sweat running down my face, I was reminded of that passages that speak of Jesus being the Bread of Life and during Jesus' temptation, when He answered Satan, telling him that "Man does not live on bread alone..."

Yes, the bread last night was fantasticaly delicious, and it satisfied for a moment, but you know what? I woke up hungry this morning. You know what else? I got hungry at lunchtime, too. Yes, there was physical hunger still there, but I truly believe there was and is a longing...a hunger...deep down within me that a few pieces of warm, buttered bread can never satisfy.

So often, I feel like overeating is one of my greatest temptations. That's what happened with the bread, and I saw what happened afterwards. I wasn't ultimately satisfied. It's times like this when I wish I could just say no to the temptation in the first place. I'm then reminded of God's promise in Corinthians:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

I love this verse because it's not sugar-coated. It doesn't promise a life of no temptation. In fact, it promises that we will have temptation, but it also promises that God will provide a way of escape. He promises endurance through temptation. For me, that's incredibly encouraging! Temptation is inevitable; it's part of the Christian walk. Here's the great part: It's not impossible to say no. Jesus did!