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Matthew 4:4 - Spiritual Food Is Necessary for Spiritual Living.

Matthew 4:4 (NLT) But Jesus told him, "No! 
The Scriptures say, 'People need more than bread 
for their life; they must feed on every word of 
God.' "  

INTRODUCTION

Jesus was hungry and weak after fasting for 
40 days, but he chose not to use his divine 
power to satisfy his natural desire for food. 
Food, hunger, and eating are good, but the timing 
was wrong. Jesus was in the desert to fast, not 
to eat. And because Jesus had given up the 
unlimited, independent use of his divine power in order 
to experience humanity fully, he wouldnt use 
his power to change the stones to bread. We also 
may be tempted to satisfy a perfectly normal 
desire in a wrong way or at the wrong time. If we 
indulge in sex before marriage or if we steal to get 
food, we are trying to satisfy God-given desires 
in wrong ways. Remember, many of your desires 
are normal and good, but God wants you to 
satisfy them in the right way and at the right time. 
[Life Application SB] 

Memorization allows Gods Word to become a 
weapon against evil. Jesus was able to resist all 
of the devils temptations because he not 
only knew Scripture, but he also obeyed it. 
Ephes. 6:17 says that Gods Word is a sword to 
use in spiritual combat. Knowing Bible verses is 
an important step in helping us resist the 
devils attacks, but we must also obey the Bible. 
Note that Satan had memorized Scripture, but he 
failed to obey it. Knowing and obeying the Bible 
helps us follow Gods desires rather than the 
devils. [Life Application SB] 

Spiritual life is lived in pursuit of God. 
Jesus quoted this verse when the devil tempted him 
to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:4). Many 
people think that life is based on satisfying their 
appetites. If they can earn enough money to dress, eat, 
and play in high style, they think they are 
living the good life. But such things do not 
satisfy our deepest longings. In the end they leave 
us empty and dissatisfied. Real life, according 
to Moses, comes from total commitment to God, 
the one who created life itself. It requires 
discipline, sacrifice, and hard work, and thats why 
most people never find it. [Life Application SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARLS

As our physical life is sustained by food, 
so our spiritual life is sustained by the word 
of God. We should carefully study the Bible, 
asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we 
may understand His word. We should take one 
verse, and concentrate the mind on the task of 
ascertaining the thought which God has put in that verse 
for us. We should dwell upon the thought until 
it becomes our own, and we know "what saith the 
Lord." The word of God, received into the soul, 
molds the thoughts, and enters into the 
development of character. The word destroys the 
natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in 
Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as 
a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His 
grace, the image of God is reproduced in the 
disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the 
place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine 
similitude. This is what it means to live "by every word 
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." This is 
eating the Bread that comes down from heaven.  
DA390,1 

The truth given by inspiration "is 
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 
for instruction in righteousness." Not by one 
word, not by many words, but by every word that 
God has spoken, shall man live. You cannot 
disregard one word, a single injunction that He has 
given, however trifling it may seem to you, and be 
safe.  5T434 

COMMENTARY

Steps to Effective Bible Study
   God wants you to apply his Word and let 
it change your life. But in order for Gods 
Word to change you, you have to study it. 
   Yesterday I gave you two general 
principles for Bible study that anyone, anywhere can 
do:  
   1. Ask the right questions.
   2. Write down your observations.
Today, Ill share three more.
   3. Apply Gods Word. When you ask 
questions and write down observations, youre in the 
what part of Bible study. But when you apply 
Gods Word, you move from the what to the 
so what. In other words, you ask, How 
will this Scripture change my life?  
   Application is the ultimate goal of all 
Bible study. In fact, you only really believe the 
parts of the Bible you apply. Do you believe in 
sharing Christ with others? Do you believe in 
tithing? Well, do you do those activities? If you 
dont do them, then you dont really believe 
what the Bible teaches about them.  
   The problem that most of us have with the 
Bible isnt what we dont understand; its 
applying what we do understand! 
   4. Study the Bible systematically. Have 
you heard of the dip-and-skip method of 
Bible study? Its when you just open up the 
Bible and put a finger down where you want to 
study. Then the next time you study the Bible, you 
start in a different, random place. That haphazard 
approach wont produce the kind of results God 
wants in your life. Instead, study the Bible 
systematically. You might choose to study it verse-by-verse, 
book-by-book, topic-by-topic, or theme-by-theme.  
   5. Read the Bible over and over again. 
This simple practice will change your life. 
Its amazing how much you can get out of a 
passage if you study the same passage over and over 
again and then come back to the same passage a few 
months later. The more you read a passage, the more 
youll get out of it.  
   Theres no better time than today to 
start studying the Bible. No matter how you choose 
to study, apply these five principles, and 
youll get more out of whatever you read. [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

CLOSING THOUGHTS

God made us: invented us as a man invents an 
engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would 
not run properly on anything else. Now God 
designed the human machine to run on Himself. He 
Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to 
burn, or the food our spirits were designed to 
feed on. There is no other. That is why it is 
just no good asking God to make us happy in our 
own way without bothering about religion. God 
cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from 
Himself, because it is not there. There is no such 
thing. C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity  

Every day I have the honor of sitting down 
with a book that contains the words of the One 
who created me. Every day I have the opportunity 
to let him give me a thought or two on how to 
live. If I don't do what he says, he doesn't burn 
the book or cancel my subscription. If I 
disagree with what he says, lightning doesn't split 
my swivel chair or an angel doesn't mark my 
name off the holy list. If I don't understand 
what he says, he doesn't call me a dummy. In 
fact, he calls me "Son," and on a different page 
explains what I don't understand. In the Eye of the 
Storm by Max Lucado [Inspirational SB] 

Read it through, pray it in, live it out, 
pass it on.  George Gritter  

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY

Matthew 4:4 - Spiritual Food Is Necessary 
for Spirit Living. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200618-0839.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/