John 6:31 – Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Numbers 11:⁴ And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? ⁵ We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: ⁶ But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. ⁷ And the manna was as coriander seed, and the color thereof as the color of bdellium. ⁸ And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. ⁹ And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

 Those Israelites were blessed people!  Think of waking up every morning, walking out on your lawn and picking up breakfast.  No trips to Winn Dixie or Publix.  No check out lines to wait in.  Talk about a delivery service!  It even beats ordering your groceries from Wal-Mart.  Knowing how God always goes beyond what is necessary to show His love, I know that manna had to taste good, too.

Of course the Israelites got a little tired of it.  You know, fried manna for breakfast, manna sandwiches for lunch, and manna meatloaf with mashed manna for dinner.  They had plenty – over and above what they needed – but they were not satisfied.  They wanted something different, so they complained.

Their attitude sort of reminds me of myself.  I used to think “Lord, I could sure use a little of that manna.  Could You drop some down?”  Then I would look at the vehicle in the garage, still running well, and say “a new car sure would smell nice”, or walk through my comfortable home and determine “gotta have a new rug”.  Or even bite into a chicken breast and dream of steak.

My life is full of manna from God – daily provision for my every need.  My difficulties, like the Israelites’ difficulties, lie not in His provision but in my attitude toward God’s provision.  My choice – gratitude or grumbling, delight or despair. The results of my choice – delicious contentment or bitter dissatisfaction.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”  I Timothy 6:6