Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35 NIV
The Inspiration:
Still in the Easter season, we read here of one of Jesus' declarations to both his disciples and the crowd that followed him. The crowd had just seen him turn 5 barley loaves of bread and 2 small fish into a feast for 5,000 men, besides men and women, and still have 12 baskets of food left. There was no mathematical combinations that could explain this miracle, so it was not a wonder that the crowd was looking for him to make him king; at least, as king, they could be sure of regular supply of bread. Living by the senses can be a dangerous thing to do; you are guided by the senses that can themselves be deceived or fooled. It is not a wonder that Jesus saw through all the pretence and hypocrisy, and went on to address the most important consideration, which is the eternal plan for all men. When the eternal is safe and secured, the earthly will always follow suit.
The Contention:
I must not be so concerned about what I will eat and drink, at the expense of that which God desires for me. The verse above is God's mind for me. It reveals who Jesus is, who I am, and the result and consequence of my decision, whatever it may be. Jesus declares quite clearly that He is the bread of life. He is the only One who counts, because every other pretender has been shamed. Bread is that which represents all that refreshes, nourishes and helps grow. It is that which represents all that a man needs for natural life. If I relate this to the spiritual, it would then be the substance that sustains me down here, but also keeps me relevant for eternity. God does not do the earthly and the temporal alone; he is Himself eternal in scope and outlook, and He does not waste experiences. All that I need for all of life's phases are found in Him, and I will only get them if I go to and through Him. No one else counts.
The Conclusion:
The choice of response is always personal. No one can go to heaven on my behalf; it is a personal decision I have to take. The offer is for all who will come to Jesus. He is the bread that fills; He is the water that satisfies. He is the One who fills all things in all ways, and no one takes of Him and still lacks anything good. You cannot have God and still lack anything good. You cannot have Him and not have eternal life. With Him living in my heart, I have all that I need for life and Godliness. He has made a commitment to me that if I come to Him, and believe in Him, I will not hunger or thirst anymore. Just as in the physical, if I have a lifetime investment that pays me dividends for the rest of my life, the only thing I need to do is to protect and secure that investment. That is what I need to do in the spiritual also: guard my spiritual investment. Eternity lies at the end of all my earthly decisions. Where am I headed? God's time of favour is here.
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