Monday, October 26, 2009

Is Jesus your Bread of Life!

Read John 6:25-51

After Jesus’ miracle of feeding the multitude, the people came across the lake to look for Him to do more. But more of what? More to eat or more of the Christ? Then they saw Jesus and wondered and asked how did you get here? Jesus responded a bit harshly, for He saw their insincerity. The truth is, you do not want the truth, you are just here to see more of a “show” and to receive more food; you want another miracle, but not what is far more important. You should not be concerned about material things; rather, seek what is more effectual and important. Instead of food and what is perishable, see what I am offering you—eternal life and real Truth—because God the Father has sent me to you for that purpose so you can have a purpose!

Jesus chastised these people for their shallow wants and desires to be fed with what was temporary and miss the real meal that is eternal. They just wanted more and more miracles, each one greater than the last. People easily place their faith in the wrong things and at the wrong end of the message. These signs were meant to point to Christ, not for us to be humored by Him. Even when these people were witnesses to the incarnate God, they only wanted more of a show and not more of Him. This parallels people today who want a cheap, easy to swallow message but not the real Message of Truth that convicts and impacts. They want a God who dispenses cures to what we think ails us rather than the real cure to what really ails us—redemption (John 11:40; 1 Cor. 1:22).

Jesus is the Bread of life, He is the bread that gives life!

This is one of the famous “I Am” sayings of Jesus, significant because this points to His Divinity (John 8:12; 9:5; 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5). Jesus is the One who gives life and provides. It is a bold claim to divinity, that Jesus is God. Jesus is the God who nourishes us and we must receive and consume His most precious gift so it becomes a part of us so we can have real satisfaction and contentment. Jesus as Lord is not a commodity; rather, it gives us the means and ability to have a right relationship with God (Ex. 3:14; John 4:4; 8:12, 58-59; 9:5; 10:7-14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1-5; 17:3)

What do you want and need more of in life?

Is it physical comfort or a problem resolved or a fear to be eliminated or a hurt corrected—or is it something even shallower, like a new car or a better dress? Seeking comforts and needs, felt or real, are not always wrong; they are wrong when we replace our real need with them. Our real need is more of Christ and less of ourselves! We need to have a grasp on who Christ is and who we are in Him. This is the foundation of being a Christian. Who is He? What did He do for me? What is my role and purpose (John 3:30)?

We must have more in our spiritual arsenal than just belief.

We must have more in order to grow in Him and make our faith and relationships work. Our faith cannot just be academic, an idea, or even just a hope; it has to be real. Jesus cannot just be an idea or a hope or fuel for our agendas and purposes. He must be real and tangible in our feelings, thinking, and focus. We must be willing and able to trust and abide, so when the storms of life come, we will have a firm foundation, not one on sand made up of grains of false expectations, misplaced hopes, false ideas, and a skewed determination. We are called to know the will of God and to obey the will of God so we can give Him glory and praise and be His display. We need to focus on God, our intimacy in Him, and that He is a God who cares and who gives. We must be thankful, look at what is He saying, (we do this by praising Him) and not bow to the will of others who give misguided information under the disguise of presenting it as God’s will.

Questions to Ponder

1. Why does real Truth not make sense to someone who is not in Christ?

2. How do you handle truth from God’s Word that convicts and impacts more than normal? What has Jesus given you that is far more important than your present perceived needs?

3. What do you need to do to desire more of Christ and less of what temporarily satisfies?

4. What does the Bread of Life mean to you? How is Jesus your substance and nourishment for life and spiritual growth?

More here:
http://www.intothyword.org/articles_view.asp?columnid=3803&articleid=61524

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