Thursday, December 16
The Gift
Scripture: Micah 1-2, John 6
John 6:26–27 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
John 6:34–35 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 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.
Observation
After Jesus fed the 5000 in the wilderness, they wanted to make him king. Free bread forever! So when they woke up the next morning and Jesus and the disciples were gone, they went looking for Him. When they found Him, they wanted more bread. Jesus corrected them (He does that repeatedly in John 6), and told them, “Don’t work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.” When they asked for this bread, Jesus made it clear, “I am the bread of life.”
Jesus offered Himself as what they really needed. He is the one who satisfies our hunger for eternal life.
Application
It is so easy to want the gifts more than the Giver, the blessings more than the Blesser.
What God wants is relationship with us, so He gives us Himself. But so often, I want something else other than Him. I want what He can do for me, what He can give me, more than I want Him.
Think of a grown child who wants no relationship with a parent, but does want what the parent can give—for example, the prodigal son in Luke 15. He rejects the father, but takes the father’s money. So painful!
So many of God’s children treat Him the same way. We’re happy to ask for and receive His blessings, but don’t really want Him. We want the gifts, not the Giver, the stuff without the relationship.
I want Life (with a capital L). I want eternal life. Those are found in Jesus. He offers me Himself. What I want is wrapped up in Him. What I most want is Him.
Today, I want to pursue a relationship with Jesus—not just the gifts He offers, but the Gift He is.
Prayer: Lord, You are the Bread of Life. You alone can satisfy me. Help me today to pursue You, to live in relationship with You above all else.