February 3: Trusting His Provision.
HIS NOURISHMENT.
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."--John 6:30
Have you ever been hungry, in real need of food? The closest I got to that was when I came to the United States, many decades ago. It was hard to find jobs at first, and we were dependent on a church that gave us a weekly box of food, containing bread, cheese, rice, beans, et cetera. One day, when I opened the refrigerator, I found only some bread and cheese, nothing else. I am grateful that God sustained and blessed us. Little by little, things got easier and better.
Bread was a big concern in the first century; many people worked for it daily. When Jesus performed the miraculous feeding of the multitude (John 6:1-13), people interpreted that the awaited prophet like Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15) had arrived: "This is truly the prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). People wanted to make sure that He was the awaited One, so they asked Him to do another sign, that they might believe in Him (see John 6:30, 32). They alluded to manna: God had provided water and food for them in the wilderness through Moses. Was Jesus going to prove Himself by doing the same? Jesus explained that He was the true Bread from heaven, who provides life-giving nourishment to the world (verses 32, 33). Back in Exodus 16, God had sent manna, and Israel had collected it every day because it was perishable food. Only on the sixth day were they to collect for the Sabbath, on which they rested to remember their divine Provider. But the true Bread from heaven, to which manna pointed, provides permanent and on-going nourishment. "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and...will never thirst" (verse 35). In John, this is the first emphatic "I am" statement, followed by a metaphor for Jesus' identity. Human hearts are always searching for nourishment, though sometimes in the wrong places. But Jesus satisfies our thirst and hunger permanently. In Him we find salvation, assurance, joy, meaning, purpose, and real nourishment. He fills our souls; He is our All in all. Lord: give us this day our daily Bread! Jesus!
My Response:_____________________________________________________
HIS NOURISHMENT.
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."--John 6:30
Have you ever been hungry, in real need of food? The closest I got to that was when I came to the United States, many decades ago. It was hard to find jobs at first, and we were dependent on a church that gave us a weekly box of food, containing bread, cheese, rice, beans, et cetera. One day, when I opened the refrigerator, I found only some bread and cheese, nothing else. I am grateful that God sustained and blessed us. Little by little, things got easier and better.
Bread was a big concern in the first century; many people worked for it daily. When Jesus performed the miraculous feeding of the multitude (John 6:1-13), people interpreted that the awaited prophet like Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15) had arrived: "This is truly the prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). People wanted to make sure that He was the awaited One, so they asked Him to do another sign, that they might believe in Him (see John 6:30, 32). They alluded to manna: God had provided water and food for them in the wilderness through Moses. Was Jesus going to prove Himself by doing the same? Jesus explained that He was the true Bread from heaven, who provides life-giving nourishment to the world (verses 32, 33). Back in Exodus 16, God had sent manna, and Israel had collected it every day because it was perishable food. Only on the sixth day were they to collect for the Sabbath, on which they rested to remember their divine Provider. But the true Bread from heaven, to which manna pointed, provides permanent and on-going nourishment. "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and...will never thirst" (verse 35). In John, this is the first emphatic "I am" statement, followed by a metaphor for Jesus' identity. Human hearts are always searching for nourishment, though sometimes in the wrong places. But Jesus satisfies our thirst and hunger permanently. In Him we find salvation, assurance, joy, meaning, purpose, and real nourishment. He fills our souls; He is our All in all. Lord: give us this day our daily Bread! Jesus!
My Response:_____________________________________________________
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