Devotion:
Read John 6:25-34.
Earlier in this chapter, John tells us about Jesus feeding the five thousand men plus women and children. That feeding was an important action in which Jesus showed compassion on a huge crowd of hungry people, far from home. It was intended by Jesus as a sign that he is indeed the Messiah, and it taught the apostles and us to use whatever resources we have available to us. In the passage we read for today, we see the crowd chasing after Jesus, hoping to be fed again. Jesus patiently begins to shift them from the desire for free physical food that will fill their empty stomachs to seeing that the food was a sign from God. When the people remind him that Moses provided manna for their ancestors on the exodus, Jesus tells them the manna was provided by God, not Moses. At the end of the passage, in verse 34, we see the crowd desiring the bread that Jesus describes.
God provides for our daily needs, but there is so much more to life than running after those needs, and we are called to desire and to receive spiritual bread that sustains us and lifts us above our daily physical needs.
Personal Worship Option:
Almighty God, we ask today for our daily bread and all the basics of clothing, shelter, and safety. But we desire to know you more fully and to serve you more faithfully, so lift our hearts to you, knowing that indeed we do not live by bread alone. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment