Food for Life
Scripture Reading — John 6:25-35
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life ..."
John 6:27
I grew up in a home with nine siblings. My mother often expressed her amazement at how quickly we could consume a meal that had taken her all day to prepare. Even so, she tirelessly prepared superb meals for us and served them with a smile.
A glance back to the beginning of John 6 reveals a crowd of people who had eaten a grand feast provided by Jesus himself. There was so much food that the disciples gathered twelve baskets full of leftovers.
When the crowd followed Jesus in the hope of receiving another satisfying meal, Jesus told them they needed more than just physical food. They needed to get right with the Lord God, who gives us all good things.
How can that happen?
Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." That's a miracle far greater than feeding five thousand people at once!
Let us today, regardless of the elegance of our dinner table, be sure that we have "eaten" the bread of eternal life by receiving the gift of salvation through Jesus our Lord. And let us willingly share this "bread" with people around us.
There are still so many who are hungry for eternal life. Will you feed them?
Thank you, Father, for abundance in our lives. But may we humbly place our trust in Jesus so that we too may have "food that endures to eternal life." In his name, Amen.
About the author — John Van Schepen
Dr. John Van Schepen is a retired pastor who served churches in Washington, Wisconsin, Indiana, Oregon and California. He and his wife, Willie, have been blessed with five children and several grandchildren.
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