I AM: Discovering the Nature of Jesus!
Friday, February 27, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, As another week draws to a close, I thank You that You are with me every moment of every day. Whether the week is new and full of promise, or winding to an end, You are with me. Whether life has gone well or miserably, You are with me. I pray that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may make the most of every moment, that I may live every minute, hour, day and week that You give me with passion and zeal. I pray Your blessing on the leaders of New Life Christian Ministries today, and that You will bless church leaders everywhere who seek to discern and do the will of Jesus. All these things I pray in the strong name of Jesus, the Bread of Life! Amen.
God's Word Today
John 6:35
35Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst.
Reflecting on God's Word
If someone gave you a loaf of bread that would never “run out,” how would you use it?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What are the two requirements for those who would receive the bread of life, according to Jesus? (6:35)
Understanding God's Purpose for Us
What would you understand as God’s purpose for our lives based on this week’s theme Scripture: John 6:35?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
What one thing do you most need to do, as a result of reading today’s Scripture?
Thoughts... Come and Believe
Jesus tells us that those who would receive Him as the bread of life, those who would never hunger or thirst again must do two things: come and believe. While these may seem elementary, the reality is that coming to Jesus, which puts us in the position of “beggar” or one in need, and believing in Him are two of the greatest challenges we face as human beings. We have been taught to be self-reliant here in America. In fact, we have been taught that we are to “bow to no one” as members of this society. If Jesus is the “I Am,” that is if He is God, then we must give Him our full allegiance, we must come to Him, and we must believe that He is Lord. While those of You who are reading these words may be saying, “I’ve trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord for years—maybe decades—the truth is that we must come to Jesus and believe in Him daily. We never outgrow our reliance on Jesus. While as human children we grew and matured to the point that we no longer needed our parents to provide for our needs, to watch over and protect us (or are still in that process), we never outgrow our need for Jesus to give us the bread of life, so that we never hunger or thirst in the spiritual sense. We must come to Jesus every day. We must ask Him to provide for our needs—that’s why the Lord’s pray tells us to pray….give us THIS day our daily bread. We live each day one at a time, no matter whether we will live a short or long time on the earth. A person who is 90 years old, has still only lived life one day at a time.
If we come to Jesus and believe in Him, then we are told that we will know Him as the bread of life, and that we will live forever! What a promise! Who would not want such a reality in life? Actually, many folks failed to respond to Jesus’ offer the day He made it, and most of them actually walked away from Him! We may not understand how folks in Jesus’ day could walk away from Him, could fail to come back and rely on Him as the bread of life, but we do it, too. When Jesus tells us to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily we forget, or we ignore the command all too often. When Jesus tells us to love one another as He first loved us, we ignore or forget His commands all too often. Jesus offers us life-giving bread for now and eternity, but all too often we choose to go our own way.
During this Lenten season it is my prayer that each of us and all of us together will invest some serious time consider all of Jesus’ “I Am” statements, and then living as if we believe them—coming to Him for strength and for a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit. It isn’t enough for a person to say, “I’m a Christian,” or even to “act” like one. The only thing that will show the world that Jesus IS the bread of life who can take away the hunger and thirst of the world, is for us who have already “tasted” Jesus to live as He does. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ has been out for a couple days now. Perhaps some of you have seen it. If you have then you have seen the extent to which Jesus went in order to provide us the life that lasts forever. Even if you haven’t seen it, the truth remains: Jesus gave everything so we could also have everything. All He asks is that we come and believe!
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