DEVOTION//It holds your stomach

A post by WELSFriendsofAfrica.com (March 21, 2018) described a stick-to-your-ribs dish that Zambians eat.

Cassava Shima

In Zambia's Northwest Province, the people use cassava flour to make a dish they eat every day called shima. They say of this kind of shima, “It holds your stomach.” Cassava flour has large amounts of fiber. In other parts of Zambia, shima is made from maize flour. Cassava flour produces a porridge of much thicker consistency.  Because stomachs take more time to digest cassava-shima, it makes you feel fuller for a longer time. So, “it holds your stomach.”

Jesus the "cassava" Bread of Life

Jesus tells us he is the Bread of Life (John 6:35-51). He is not a light, fluffy bread. He is not spiritual Wonderbread.  He is a cassava-flour bread.  “The one who comes to me will never be hungry," he promises. Talk about a bread that "holds your stomach"! Or, even better, holds your soul, staves off its hunger, and satisfies its needs.

"I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me," Jesus says. And, in case you were wondering, the Savior goes on to explain,"This is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life. And I will raise him up on the Last Day. 

"I am the living bread," Jesus then repeats for emphasis. "The bread… which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Bread that holds our souls

The human body that the Son of God offered on the cross as the perfect substitute for every human being, as the payment in full for every sin, is the living bread everyone needs. This bread sticks to our souls and gives life and health and healing and hope for every moment of our lives -- and then for eternity.

Come to fill your soul on this living bread. You'll find him on every page of the Scriptures. Eat well. Then return for more. Day after day. This bread "holds your soul."