January 30
JOHN 6
27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
– John 6:27-34
JOHN 6 WORK FOR FOOD THAT DON’T PERISH
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
We live in a world that almost everything dies
We focus our lives on things that also do not last
But Jesus came to give us that food that do not perish
He is the true bread from heaven that frees us from sin
If we believe in him, we will have food that is everlasting
We do not have to settle for nourishment that passes away.
What did Jesus mean when he said he is the bread of life? We know in those cultures that their staple food is bread. Without it, their bodies wouldn’t be properly nourished. As actual bread is to physical sustenance, the bread of heaven (who is Jesus) is to our spiritual nourishment. We are not just made of physical substance, but we also have a mind, soul and spirit.
The purpose for every man’s life is clearly stated in Ephesians 1:11-12 which says that we have been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. It is to bring God the glory which means we need to spiritually nourish ourselves with God’s word and laws.
REFLECTION
• What happens to us when we only nourish our bodies and not our spirits?
