Food
Scripture Reading — John 6:1-15
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.”
John 6:51
At a campsite or maybe at a backyard picnic, we can enjoy the outdoors with grill-cooked food and something cool to drink. But no matter where we eat, nutrition is important. Our bodies need a balance of proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, and a whole list of other nutrients. Our bodies must be replenished, or we cannot thrive.
John 6 tells of a huge crowd of people who ate outdoors with Jesus. They were both physically and spiritually hungry. Jesus gathered the people on the green grass, took five loaves and two fish—and miraculously multiplied this food to feed more than 5,000 people!
This was enough for that day, and yet Jesus knew that everyone would need more food the next day—just as they did every day. So Jesus also pointed to himself as “the living bread,” saying that anyone who eats of this bread will live forever!
Have you discovered the life-giving nourishment of Jesus? Have his Word and his work given you new life?
Many people today are picky eaters when it comes to spiritual food. Like many disciples of that time, people today also desert Jesus (see John 6:66).
Today, Sunday is a day when we have the opportunity to gather with God’s people to be fed by the bread of life and the living water of Jesus. Let’s experience Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and even his very life. With him we will live forever!
Lord, thank you for daily bread that you so graciously provide. Nourish us also with your Word and Spirit so that we may thrive and live forever. Amen.
About the author — Gerrit J. Bomhof
Gary Bomhof is pastor of First Christian Reformed Church, Red Deer, Alberta. He and his wife, Jo-Ann, have four children and five grandchildren.
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