Sunny&80What Did Jesus Mean When He Said “I Am the Bread of Life”?
Posted on March 3, 2021
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:35).
God is our Provider, and Jesus is the Bread of Life. John recorded Jesus’ promise that all who freely accept this bread will no longer hunger. The first of the “I am” statements of Jesus, which solidify His nature as fully God and fully man is “I am the bread of life,” which describes the way we find full satisfaction in and through Christ alone.
“God is the supplier of divine bread,” explains the NIV Commentary, “and whoever eats of it will live forever.” Every word Jesus spoke on earth carried precise weight and meaning. This important note of Scripture defines our need to trust the Living Word to satisfy our physical bodies, heart and soul.
The Meaning of “I am the Bread of Life” in John 6:35
John begins his gospel account with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Manna was the miraculous bread given to the Israelites as they traveled through the desert. Enough was given to them to satisfy their hunger for the day. If they kept any for the next day, it would spoil with worms. Jesus overturned traditional Jewish beliefs by referring to Himself as the bread of life.
Jewish leaders also referred to bread, or manna, as spiritual food. In this text, John records Jesus explaining He is the Bread of Life, the very Word of God made flesh. “As the people yearned for the heavenly bread and as the rabbis reinterpreted this bread to mean the wisdom or life-sustaining presence of God,” the NIV Application Commentaryexplains, “so now Jesus is that precious gift.”
“The day before Jesus said these things, he had fed a crowd of 5,000 people with loaves and fish,” explained Jon Bloom for desiring God. “Not since the days of manna had a prophet provided miracle bread like that.” Jesus was now proclaiming to be Manna Himself, writes Trevin Wax. Not only is God Provider for our physical needs, but His Word made flesh satisfies the needs of our souls.
The Power and Joy of Being in the Family of God
Posted on February 19, 2021
“But to all who did not receive him, who believed in his name, he gave them the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
There’s an innate desire in many of our hearts to adopt a child, whether we can’t have children of our own or just long to reach out and cover another’s life. Adoption flows naturally through us, because we, too, are adopted sons and daughters of the One True God. His plan all along was to make a way for us to run home to Him, and we do this through Christ. Though God created every one of us, as this article from Compelling Truthexplains, we remain alienated from our Father until we come to Him through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Family conveys a sense of belonging. To be in the family of God means to be accepted for who we are: loved, cherished, celebrated, and fully forgiven. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Our confidence comes, not from ourselves, but from our Creator, our Savior, and Spirit of the One True God. The only requirement? Not to change who we are or fix all of our dysfunctions, but by believing in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, who came to save us, once and for all.
“Because HE had chosen before the foundation of the world to have a family for Himself (Eph 1:5), He acted in time and history to make their salvation a reality,” writes Iain Duguid for Ligonier Ministries.
15 Questions that Will Change Your Prayer Life
Posted on February 12, 2021
Prayer is personal. God hears our voice as distinctly as we call out to Him. 1 John 5:14 says,“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” But more important than what we say, is the frequency in which we pray that matters to God.
Paul explicitly tells us that continual prayer is part of God’s will for us (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). That’s because continual, committed communication with God is vital for our spiritual growth.
How often do you pray? Is prayer a spiritual discipline you want to grow in? The following fifteen questions touch on four specific aspects of prayer. Use them to take stock of your own prayer life and what you can be doing to strengthen your communication with God.
What does “Salt of the Earth” Mean in Matthew 5:13?
Posted on January 13, 2021
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” Matthew 5:13 ESV
God has good plans for us, but they require us to work hard in pursuit of His will for our lives. We must daily take up our crosses and decide to follow Jesus through every obstacle that presents itself. We must seek Christ as our greatest treasure and satisfaction.
What Did Jesus Mean When He Used the Phrase ‘Salt of the Earth’?
Jesus often chose common subjects to demonstrate His teachings. “Salt was so important and valuable that Roman soldiers sometimes were paid in salt,” wrote Greg Laurie for Harvest Daily Devotion, “Hence the expression, ‘He’s not worth his salt.’” Salt on its own is used for clearing roads and preserving food, but it also enhances the taste of everything it’s added to. Even in ancient times, “salt was a symbol of lasting concord,” the New Testament Greek Lexicon defines, “because it protected food from putrefaction and preserved it unchanged.”
What Does Jesus Mean by “Blessed are the Meek” in Matthew 5:5?
Posted on January 11, 2021
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5
Jesus preached the Beatitudes to teach us what it means to have a truly repentant heart. Matthew 5:5 is included in the well-known Biblical text called the Beatitudes, “virtues that should characterize those who are ready for the kingdom and to assure them of blessing and reward when it comes” (Moody Bible Commentary). Meek isn’t a common word we use to describe someone. A deeper look at its true meaning explains why such a characteristic is a rare commodity. To be meek is to be kind and gentle, submissive or compliant, tame, and humbly patient or docile. God sees every part of our hearts, and His truth serves as a necessary guidepost to ensure we are living the way He has called us to live.
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“Friends with Everyone,” by Meg Bucher
“Surface,” available on Amazon
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