“Who Am I?” Part 5.1
Devotional 5.1
I Am- The Bread of Life- John 6- Jesus Feeds
Read: John 6:30-35- “So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
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It was June 6th, 1944. D-Day. The beginning of the end for Hitler’s German domination and occupation of mainland Europe and soon to be the end of the war that had gripped the world for so many years. Landing craft filled with anxious soldiers crossed from England to Normandy, France. Many would not survive as the landing craft doors crashed open onto the choppy surface of the English channel, depositing their contents of waiting soldiers onto the beach. Machine gun fire would instantly kill large numbers. Others would make their way to the shore but for many, their doom began the night before. What would end up killing some was not simply enemy bullets or mortar fire but depletion, exhaustion, and dehydration, which led to poor performance, making them easy targets.
On the night prior to the invasion, a lavish meal was served to the soldiers, one including all they could eat spaghetti, steak, and other rich fair. The problem was that these soldiers, stuffed with such food, were made nauseatingly sick on the choppy ride across the English Channel. The food that was supposed to sustain and energize them for combat would actually lead to their dehydration after so many would be unable to hold down the previous night’s meal.
This is more than just a tragic story of soldiers during World War Two. Spiritually speaking this is a metaphor for our own struggle in this life. We are all starving, and dehydrated, after gorging ourselves on the ‘provisions’ of this world. A banquet laid out before us by our enemy, Satan. These things that we think will satisfy and sustain us; pursuing our own ends, wealth, pleasure, fame, etc. actually end up making us spiritually sick and will kill us.
So, what is the solution? We must recognize that we are starving and prone to run after ‘food’ that will not nourish or sustain but instead will hasten our sickness and death. Jesus came along and said, “I am the Bread of Life”. He recognized our deepest problem. We are not simply hungry. We are starving. Spiritually depleted and empty! We will run to anything and everything to try and satiate this hunger, everywhere but to the one place or person we should. Ours is an eternal problem. We will ‘eat’ ourselves to death, feasting upon this world unless we are shown differently. We must be weaned off of the filth and rotting food of this world and turn to Him to be filled and sustained and satisfied.
I can remember years ago when we as a family tried to get off of caffeine. We realized we were drinking a lot of soft drinks, and so, because they were getting very costly and because we were feeling the effects of too much, we decided to stop. So, we determined we were not only going to drink more water, but we were also going to drink water and almost nothing else! It took time. At first, water seemed so plain, so unsatisfying, so blah! Over time as our bodies adjusted to no longer having a steady intake of sweet, caffeinated drinks, we began to notice a change. Water became increasingly good and refreshing. Now, water, cold and pure, tastes so very good, and soft drinks seem almost unbearably sticky sweet. What a change! What did it take to have this situation reverse itself? Two things. First, we had to go cold turkey- no more soft drinks. Second, we had to replace it with something that was healthy and sustaining. Third, we had to persevere through the transition. We had to ride out the weeks where water seemed so bland and unsatisfying. We had to believe and trust that the switch we were making was indeed going to be for our good. Over time, water became satisfying, sustaining, and ‘sweet’ to the taste.
The same is true with our spiritual condition. We have been filling ourselves with so much filth and garbage that our appetites have become accustomed to it. We miss it when we are not filling our minds and hearts with what the world has to offer. We cannot imagine happiness or contentment without, what? What has your heart and mind become so accustomed to that you cannot imagine replacing it with a deeper relationship with the Lord? Is it your pursuit of fame or acclaim or applause? Is it sexual pleasures, either of the mind with pornography or physically through relationships? Is it some kind of numbing agent; sleep, drink, a drug, or something else you use to escape?
So, What Now?
Can Jesus be enough? Can He ever taste as sweet as the sinful pleasures we pursue? Can we ever love Him more than these other things? The answer is yes, He can and we can! He says to come to Him and feast upon Him. First, we must quit whatever it is we are running after, that the Bible says is evil or destructive. It is killing us; either eternally or spiritually in this life, dulling our appetites for Him. We must run hard after Him through His Word. We must seek out others who can help us run to Him for feeding. We will have to persevere during the time or times when He is still not as ‘tasty’ or satisfying as our pet sins or passions. We must believe that over time He will replace our old, sinful appetites with new and glorious ones. But we must stop feeding our old appetites with junk and replace them with the Lord. It will take time but one day you can enjoy Him even more than the fair and ‘food’ of this world!