An Inspirational Message for the New Year January 2025 – Jesus: The Bread of Life – By Charles Schokman
Intention
To joyfully discover that Jesus is eternally satisfying and turn to Him rather than sin.
Scripture
“‘I am the bread of life’, Jesus told them. ‘No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.’
“‘Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.’
“‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever.’”– John 6:35, 47, 51
One of the deepest desires of the human heart is to be satisfied. We may call it joy, calmness, or peace. The problem is when we try and find satisfaction in the wrong places.
Instead of looking to God, we look to the things He has made (something the Bible calls idolatry). This could include food, sex, money, careers, friends or possessions.
The problem with finding satisfaction in created things is that they are temporary, insubstantial, and fail to fill the vacuum. We all know this from personal disappointment when they fail to deliver on their promise to satisfy.
Eternal fulfilment must come from the eternal One. Only He can eternally fill the vacuum in our hearts and satisfy our souls.
In the sixth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus makes a remarkable claim. He says, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
Bread is a staple food that virtually everyone ate in the ancient world (and still today). As such, ‘bread’ means food in general. Without food, we are sure to perish.
In John 6:35, Jesus claims to be so essential to our existence that we cannot hope to live without Him (just like we cannot live without physical food).
Even more, when Jesus says, “I am the bread of life”, Jesus is claiming to be the giver of eternal life (John 6:33). But only God – the eternal One – can give an eternal gift.
Jesus claims to be God, and, therefore, worthy of our worship. Those who choose to worship Jesus will joyfully discover how deeply satisfying He is.
He promises, “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again” (John 6:35). Jesus is eternally satisfying. As Augustine said, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
All of us deeply need the satisfaction Jesus speaks of in John 6. Our hunger for meaning, peace, joy, and purpose can only be met by coming to Him.
Rather than seeking this satisfaction in created things, come to Jesus today knowing that He satisfies the hunger of all who come to Him in faith. When you recognise Who
Jesus is and what He has done for you, you will find eternal rest and satisfaction in your soul.
Prayer
Dear Father,
Thank you for sending Jesus, our true bread, to earth for us. Fill our hearts with thankfulness for the way He satisfies our whole being. Holy Spirit, guard us from the lie that we can be satisfied apart from Christ and lead us to trust in Him alone for our satisfaction.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.—–Courtesy of James Jeffery
Pray this Communion Hymn-“Jesus stand among us” will join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
