The Bread of Heaven in Me
Just as bread nourishes the body, Christ’s perfect humanity nourishes our every moment.
In today’s reading from Immeasurably More by Ray Stedman, we are introduced to the grain offering—also known as the meal or meat offering. Uniquely, this is the only offering in Leviticus that involves no bloodshed. Instead, it is made of the finest flour mixed with oil and presented with incense, representing something essential yet bloodless—bread, the very sustenance of life.
Stedman beautifully connects this to Jesus’ declaration in John 6:35: “I am the bread of life.” The grain offering, then, becomes a symbol of Jesus’ perfect humanity—the spotless, fragrant life that pleased the Father in every way. While the burnt offering pointed to Christ’s substitutionary death, the grain offering speaks to His righteous life, made available to us by His Spirit. It’s not just that Christ died for us, but that He now lives in us. And we are invited to “feed” on His humanity—drawing from His indwelling life and presenting His character back to the Father in our daily living.
The devotional emphasizes that the true fullness of the gospel is not only found in forgiveness but in this divine exchange—our broken, self-centered humanity exchanged for the indwelling perfection of Christ’s life. That is what God intended all along: not only to cleanse us from sin, but to infuse us with the humanity of His Son. The grain offering prefigures this mystery—Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Personalized Journal Entry in the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture
You were never meant to offer Me a better version of yourself. You were made to receive My Son, and let His life become your life. The offering I delight in is not the striving of your flesh, but the fragrant humanity of Christ made visible in you. As the grain offering was brought with incense and oil, so My Son’s life in you rises to Me as a pleasing aroma.
You have received the Bread of Life—not merely as nourishment, but as union. His character, His humility, His obedience, His compassion, His trust in Me—all are yours now. As you live by faith, Christ lives through you. The life you now live in the body, you live by faith in the Son who loved you and gave Himself for you.
You are no longer your own. You are not trying to imitate Jesus; you are sharing in His very life. I do not ask you to produce goodness. I invite you to yield to the goodness already within you—My Spirit bearing fruit in the soil of your trust.
As you work, parent, counsel, rest, or speak—remember that Jesus, the finest flour, the sinless One, the Bread from Heaven, is your offering to Me. Each day becomes a holy table, and your life a sacred loaf set apart. Let Me receive My Son through you.
Your union with Christ is your daily worship. This is not only the gospel you believed—it is the gospel you now live.
(Scripture references: Galatians 2:20, John 6:35, Colossians 1:27, Romans 8:9-10, 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, Galatians 5:22-25, Leviticus 2:1-2)
Prayer of Confidence and Trust
Father, thank You for giving me Jesus—not just as my Savior, but as my very life. You have not asked me to copy Him but to yield to Him. His perfect humanity is mine to draw from, moment by moment, and I praise You that every act of trust is a fragrant offering before You. Let my life today be marked by quiet dependence on the One who lives within me. I offer You the Son You gave me, now living in me. What could please You more?
Amen.
Credits
Devotional insight adapted from Immeasurably More by Ray Stedman
Photo credit: Unsplash