Living 4 Him

“The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  John 6:33 (NLT)

As a teacher on earth, Jesus mastered taking the smaller, everyday bits of life and placing them in a meaningful context to illustrate a deeper truth.  Like bread, for instance.  In John 6, Jesus feeds a crowd of over 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread.  The fascination with bread continues as a crowd follows him the next day.  Jesus grabs this opportunity to reveal the real blessing of his true bread.

He tells them: “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.  Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NLT)

He further describes life given by the spirit, not human effort.  He promises a life that will be continually full, never knowing the empty desolation of being alone.  He is our sustenance.  His statement relieves the hunger in our souls.  Jesus knows how to fill it. 

Bread was a staple of Jesus’ day.  Loaves were made and consumed daily.  Jesus knew how vital bread was to the society he lived in and a daily part of every meal.  Food is necessary to keep our physical bodies functioning.  Jesus introduces a way to feed the inner parts of our souls and keep them functioning. As our bread of life, Jesus stands by daily to nourish our internal cravings.

Digesting Jesus as the bread of life looks similar to bodies digesting actual bread.  As the body receives bread, enzymes and digestive juices break the bread into smaller pieces.  Then, vitamins and minerals are absorbed and the body receives the energy it needs.  Digesting the bread of life means chewing on small spiritual bits that God wants to get deep inside us, giving the proper energy to thrive. 

There are several ways to digest or break spiritual truths into smaller parts.

Digest the truth: God’s word gives us the truth.

We are loved. 

We are forgiven. 

We have God’s spirit living in us. 

God is able to do all things. 

God hears our prayers. 

God knows our hearts. 

God has a good plan for our lives. 

We know these truths, but have we digested their meaning enough to absorb them into our everyday living?  Remember: Our bodies need food every day and this spiritual food is something we need to digest daily or some days, hourly. 

Digest scripture: The big ideas given through Bible scriptures become more personal and more understandable as we break them into smaller phrases or words.  The verse “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.” (John 14:27) holds more significant meaning when we think about one word at a time or focus on a particular word or phrase like “peace” or “leave” or “give to you.”  Savor the words of scripture. Take a second, third or fourth helping of a chapter or a verse until its nutrients become a part of you.

Digest your present moment. We cannot digest tomorrow’s food.  We can only digest what has been eaten today.  Psalm 46:1 reminds us that God is an “ever-present help.” God’s spirit has worked in the past and we can be sure he’ll work in the future, but his essential work is done in the present moment.  Stay connected to him as life unfolds before you and share every moment with him.  

Over 10 years ago I discovered my gluten intolerance along with other food challenges.  This meant the ingredients I ate changed. Our souls sometimes need a shift in ingredients from the Bread of Life as well.  Spending time in prayer, depending on the Spirit for guidance and provision and refilling our spiritual tanks on a day-to-day basis keeps the right ingredients in our souls.

Poet Helen Steiner Rice had a daily prayer, printed below, to keep her heart and mind filled with the Bread of Life.  Are you hungering for more in your life?  Look to the Bread of Life and partake of all he has to offer.

Reaching in (allowing God’s word to work in your soul):  Read Jesus’ statements about the Bread of Life in John 6: 22-59.  Find some tasty truth to digest.

Reaching out (taking God’s word into the world):  Look to Jesus to feed you throughout each day.

My Daily Prayer

by Helen Steiner Rice

Bless me, heavenly Father

forgive my erring ways,

Grant me strength to serve Thee,

put purpose in my days.

Give me understanding

enough to make me kind

So I may judge all people

with my heart and not my mind.

And teach me to be patient

in everything I do,

Content to trust Your wisdom

and to follow after You.

And help me when I falter

and hear me when I pray

And receive me in Thy kingdom

to dwell with Thee some day.