Three Loaves for a Friend (Ephesians 3:20)

Glory be to God

Three Loaves for a Friend

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."  Ephesians 3:20

Our God is a Almighty God who is able to work for us. For that purpose, His exceeding power is also working in us. Therefore this verse reminds us that the things which God does for us are exceedingly above what we ask or think. However, for us to experience this, we must pay attention to certain things. We should have an attitude of asking for only one thing and desiring that one thing alone (Psalm 27:4). When the Lord speaks about this, He says that instead of being troubled and anxious about many things, only one thing is needful (Luke 10:41–42). King Solomon also pleased God because in his life he asked for only one thing suitable for the position God had placed him in. Moreover, God granted him many other things beyond what he asked (1 Kings 3:10–13). In our spiritual life, the one thing we should think about, desire, pray for, and obtain is to run steadfastly toward the mark to receive the prize of the high calling. Therefore, let it happen for us to pray in the presence of God desiring only the prize of the high calling of God (Philippians 3:14–15). At the second coming of Jesus, in order that we might be with Him in the place where He is, for that it should happen that we might reach unto Him (John 14:2–3). Let this alone be the subject of our prayer. If we cry to God with this one desire, surely God will grant us that eternal salvation (Psalm 145:19).

This was also the request and desire of David: to behold the beauty of the LORD, to enquire in his temple, and to dwell in the house of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). When we observe this one matter carefully, we see that David expresses it by differentiating in three ways in his prayer: to behold His beauty, to meditate in His temple, and to dwell in His house. If we consider these things spiritually in another way, it can be understood as three experiences of one thing, just as a man who went to ask bread for his friend asked for three loaves (Luke 11:5–8). He asked only for one thing that is bread, but he said he needed three loaves.

When we consider the three friends mentioned here, we can understand these three persons as God, ourselves, and our body. God calls Abraham His friend (Isaiah 41:8).Jesus also calls us friends. Since Jesus has made known to us everything He heard from God, both God and Jesus can be called as our friends (John 15:15). When we think about our body, we see that God created a suitable helper for man, and when He brought the woman to the man, the man cleave unto his wife and they became one flesh (Genesis 2:18, 22–24). The man is the head of the woman, and the woman is the body of the man, and they are seen as one (1 Corinthians 11:3). Therefore, to be a suitable helper for ourselves the man our body is the friend that God has given us to dwell on this earth. When it is said that the woman is the glory of the man (1 Corinthians 11:7), it points to the body which God will transform and make glorious by His working power (Philippians 3:21). However, according to the divine order, we must be the head and the body must be seen below if the body is subjective to us then it will be our friend. If the body becomes our head and we live according to the body, it becomes our enemy, because if we live after the flesh we shall die eternally (Romans 8:12–13).In order to prevent this, we must keep under our body and bring it into subjection (1 Corinthians 9:27). Just as the church, which is the body, submits to Christ (Ephesians 5:24), if our body submits to us and lives in unity with us, then it truly our body becomes a suitable helper, a good friend. Therefore, for our friend—the body—we must ask God to receive for three loaves.

When we consider the first loaf, a healthy body is necessary for us to prosper and be in health in this world (3 John 1:2). Like Caleb, we should be able to say that we have strength even in old age as in our youth (Joshua 14:11). Even in old age we should still bear fruit and remain fat and flourishing (Psalm 92:14). We should not become weak and sick because of a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11) or because of evil spirits (Matthew 8:16). When Jesus spoke about the experience of healing such people, He called it as the children's bread (Matthew 15:26). Therefore, we the children of God, we must ask God for this bread for our body. If we serve only the LORD our God, He will bless our bread and our water and take sickness away from the midst of us (Exodus 23:25). With that we can live prosperously and in health with a healthy body. May we receive from God this first loaf—the children's bread of healing and health—and it happen for us it live experiencing abundance of peace and truth (Jeremiah 33:6).

When we consider the second loaf, our Lord is coming quickly to give every man according to his works (Revelation 22:12). Therefore, with our healthy body we must be able to do good works worthy of reward. The Scriptures say that even if we labour hard for our daily living it is vain (Psalm 127:2). Therefore, knowing that our labour in the Lord is not in vain, we must always abound in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). Only by serving the Lord in this way we will receive the reward of the inheritance (Colossians 3:24). Some are mentioned as those who labour much in the Lord (Romans 16:12). We too can labour more abundantly than others only if we have the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10). Because the grace in Christ Jesus will strengthens us (2 Timothy 2:1), otherwise through Christ who strengthens us we will have strength to do all things (Philippians 4:13). Therefore, may God give us also the angels bread (in malayalam bread of the mighty), the corn of heaven that He gave to Israel (Psalm 78:24–25). For our friend—the body—we must receive this second loaf, the bread of the mighty, from God.For that if we trust in the LORD our God, then He will strengthen us so that we may perform works pleasing to Him and receive a full reward from God (Ruth 2:12).

When we look at the third loaf, in the life that desires to be with Jesus we must become overcomers (Revelation 3:21). While living in this body we must fight and overcome the world, the flesh, and sin. We must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, putting on the whole armour of God so that we may stand against the wiles of the devil and resist the wicked spiritual forces in the evil day (Ephesians 6:10–13). In such a life where we fight the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7), victory belongs to God, and it is God who must grant us victory (Proverbs 21:31). When God revealed to Gideon that He would give victory over the Midianites, He showed it through a barley loaf. That barley loaf represented the bread of victory by which God delivered the enemy into their hand (Judges 7:13–14). Since we have a God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57), we must ask God for this bread of victory for our friend—the body. Then we, being overcomers, will sit with the victorious Jesus (Revelation 3:21) so that it will happen for us to sit at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). This is the place that the Lord has prepared for us (John 14:3), and it is also the position of the bride, Lamb’s wife, the queen (Psalm 45:9) therefore, let us  desire only for that and pray.

Finally, when we understand the experience of receiving bread, we see that even if we say we are God's friends or claim other qualifications, the bread will not be given. Instead, it is given to those who ask with importunity (Luke 11:8). Even though the Father will not give a stone when we ask for bread, He gives abundantly to those who ask as much as we needed (Matthew 7:9–11). Therefore, if we offer prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears like Jesus (Hebrews 5:7), God will do for us exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). He will transform our vile body to be fashioned like His glorious body (Philippians 3:21) and it happen for us to obtain the adoption, the redemption of our body. For this we groan within ourselves and wait eagerly (Romans 8:23). Let us watch and pray always. May the Lord our God help us to do so.