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I Am the Bread - John 6



Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John 6:35, ESV



Not a day goes by that I miss a meal. Like clockwork, you will find me at the table for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even the occasional afternoon snack. Why? Because I love food and because I know I need food to survive.

Food is not an option for human life.

It is absolutely necessary.

Without it- we starve to death.

Without it - we will not survive.

Water fits within this same category. We may be able to make it one day, two, even three without it - but slowly, our bodies will dehydrate, begin to malfunction, and ultimately fade away.

And don't get me started on oxygen!

I think we all are quite of our aware of our desperate need to BREATHE to survive.

Knowing this - I find it no coincidence that within scripture, we find Jesus - the Way, the Truth, and "THE LIFE" - called not only the "Bread of Life" but also the "Living Water" and the "Breath of Life."

Food, Water, Oxygen - the very things we need to survive.

In Luke 10:38-42, we read the story of Mary and Martha.

This story has always been one of my favorites. Martha often gets a bad rep, but in truth, her heart was to serve the Lord and that is a beautiful thing. However, in all of her serving, Jesus said she had forgotten the “one thing that is necessary.”

This word in the original Greek means, “needed,” but in a much deeper sense, it means,

“That which is absolutely necessary to supply life;”

the very thing that is needed “for the journey.” 

And what is that thing that absolutely necessary?

HIM.

Just Being With Him.

And it made me realize this:

If I truly believed that Jesus was needed for life – than I would acknowledge that I cannot live without Him, and I would reach for Him by any means possible.

I wouldn't "miss a meal."

Like food, like water, like air to my lungs - if "in Him, is life (John 10:10)" than I would acknowledge that to live without Jesus would be to live my life starving. 

And yet I have.

I've lived this way.

Starving.

Dehydrated.

Gasping.

Why do I do that?

Why do WE do that?

Why do we choose to live our lives starving instead of living it filled with the “life to the full” that is found in Him?

Martha's story reveals the answer.

First, in verse 40 it says that she was "distracted by many things." The word "distracted" means "drawn away" and "over-occupied."

How this could describe us!

Between our busy schedules, our workload, our family activities, our church commitments, the noise of entertainment around us, and the constant dinging of our phones - it can be easy to become distracted. Take a moment and ask yourself: What are the biggest distractions in my life? The things that most over-occupy my time or draw me away from time with God?

Removing or reprioritizing some of those things could be the very thing you need to do to make room for Him.

Secondly, in verse 41, it says that Martha was "worried about many things." But notice that NONE of the things she was worried about were the ONE THING that was necessary…did you catch that? She was concerned about who was going to help her serve and how much work she had to do…but she wasn’t concerned about the fact that she was missing out on time with Jesus. And I wonder: What “keeps you up at night?” Is it your lack of time with Him? If not…ask why.

Jesus is not a new pair of jeans at the mall. He is bread. He is water. He is oxygen. We can't live without him.

Do you believe that?

Do you see time spent with Him as an option or the "one thing" that is necessary?

How do you treat your relationship with Him? Casual? Important? Life or death? Forgettable?

Quit living your life starving, desperate...gasping for air.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John 6:35, ESV



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