Sunday Reading: John 6:47-51
Key Verse: John 6:48
48 I am the Bread of life.
Devotion:
How much have you eaten so far in the last few days? I know that I have eaten far too much and that I could probably go for the rest of the week without actually having to eat any more! But, we do need food in order to stay alive. Our diets cannot solely consist of the junk food in life, nor can it exist of just the nice vegetables, nor just the juicy steaks... Our diets have to be varied so that we get all of the nutrients that our bodies need. Back in the wilderness, the Israelites were given manna from God. This manna contained everything in a balanced diet for them to survive – oh for something plain like that to balance the rich food from the past few days!
But our food can only take us so far... Our food will allow us to live out our natural lives – and that is it. Our food will not extend our lives beyond the physical because it is here to sustain our physical bodies. Yes we do have the pleasures of various foods that give us great joy, but we also need to food that balances that out to give us all the nutrients that we need. With good food, we can live a long life... but still we will die when we get too old. I used to laugh at the sci-fi films that would portray humans as eating nothing but pills – how could anyone enjoy an existence like that!
Christ, on the other hand, gives us something even more than the best food we can muster. He has given us our bibles, His Word, so that we can know the truth and follow it. That truth shows us what we have to do in order to obtain our living Bread from Him. With that living Bread we obtain even more than a healthy physical life; we obtain eternal life with Him. In other words, if we accept that living Bread, we will live forever – even better than the sci-fi pills! We still need our spiritual food to allow us to grow in His Word, but we know that once we have accepted Him as our Saviour, we no longer need to fear what will become of us after our physical death. Christ came into this world for one purpose, so that He could pay our sin debt. Accept the truth and live on that truth forever more.
Points to Ponder:
What was your favourite food this Christmas?
How long can you survive without the living Bread?
