Lakeland Seventh-day Adventist Church

Panda was a funny dog. An Australian shepherd with patches on her eyes resembling her namesake, she would take nuggets of dog food out of her 25 pound feeder and bury them around the yard. Maybe she had watched one too many squirrels, but we suspected she didn't trust us to give her enough food. How low-down does it make you feel when even your dog won't trust you?

Sometimes though we are tempted to treat God the same way. Jesus has told us to ask, “Give us this day our daily bread,” but if we don't see the whole 25 pound week's supply we get nervous. He gives us what we need just when we need it because we tend to get wasteful and self sufficient with too much in our control. Like the Israelites receiving just enough manna for each day, we are to be dependent on God for our daily needs.

But when we ask, we might want to think of others as well. If all we ask for is our own needs then we tend to growl at each other at the food dish. We might even snap at the Master. God asks us to share a few nuggets with others; maybe even give up the food dish occasionally so someone else can have enough.

And there is more to consider in “Give us this day our daily bread” than Panda could have imagined. We are to draw from God our spiritual life every day as well. Just a few verses later Jesus asks, “Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Mathew 6:25. It isn't that Purina isn't important, it's just that we can have the Bread of Life!

Our worry and fret only gives the neighbors reason to question the goodness of our Master. He has promised to supply our needs.

Besides, dog food doesn't grow like acorns.