Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35
McDonald's, Burger King, Culver's, and other such fast food places all offer a quick sandwich and a soft drink to satisfy our hunger pains. Those carbs and high sugar sodas give us a temporary feeling of being full, but in a few hours our tummy is rumbling again. It needs refilling, because it is never satisfied for long. Our body craves food for energy to sustain life.
When Jesus declared that He was the bread of life and quenches thirsty souls, He spoke the truth. Only Jesus satisfies our deepest longings. Just previous to this incident in John 6:5-13, He reminded those gathered around Him that God, not Moses, had provided manna for the Israelites during their forty years in the wilderness. He had also just fed 5,000+ people with five small barley loaves and two little fish. His miraculous power was demonstrated before their very eyes, for there were even twelve basketfuls of bread left over!
Back then and yet today, God wants to provide for our needs. Trusting Him requires faith in Jesus to do all that He has promised for His children. He gave his followers the example to ask the Father for their needs when He prayed, "Give us each day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3). By doing so, we are relying on the One who is the source of all that we need.
While a carb-free diet is popular today and may help us loose weight, Jesus gives us the strength needed to face whatever life brings our way. Spiritual nourishment comes from time spent with Jesus in His Word, in prayer, and in meditation about what we learn from Him. You can never get too much of the Bread of Life!
Written by: Lois Dahlstrom