The Bread of Life

Grandma was part of a longtime morning walking group. At one point in time, a of her friends was unable to participate in the daily walks yet found a way to still contribute to the excitement. She created a new tradition of "Letters from the Mailbox" for the rest of the women. Each morning, she would leave stimulating questions and conversation starters for the ladies to talk about as they walked. 

Grandma shared a few with me to use in my conversing with other girls as I so frequently get the chance. One that struck me was this:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  (Matt. 4:4) 
“And Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the bread of life;  he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”  (John 6:35)  Is John contradicting Matthew?  Explain.  (Think and be careful!)

As I thought on this provoking question, I felt my mind's eye open. Jesus said he is the "bread of life." Taking what he said as truth, Matthew reads like this: "Man shall not live by [Jesus Christ] alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." What does this mean? True, by coming to Christ and believing on His name, we never hunger or thirst. But to live- and live eternally- we cannot just expect Christ to save us. He is the means by which we live, but it takes more than just believing on His name. "...Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" refers to things Christ taught both in person and through the voice of His servants, His apostles and prophets. For we know that by His own voice or by the voice of His servants, it is the same (D&C 1:38). 

That being said, to truly "live" we must follow the prophet. To follow the prophet means we trust in modern day revelation and all that entails. To "live" we must take part in the ordinances and covenants revealed to us in this day. Thus, come together the two halves to make a whole. The one half, being Christ and His grace through the Atonement; and the other, being our obedience through following the prophet and showing our devotion by making and keeping covenants. On this earth, your life will be complete. In the world to come, you will be able to live eternally. And that is how we live.