"I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." John 6:35
I have been blessed tremendously in my current living situation. I live with a pastor and his wife, renting an upstairs room from them. Part of the agreement is home-cooked meals that I may enjoy with them each evening. For those of you who know me (or have lived with me), this is a genuine blessing. My cooking skills leave a lot to be desired, and on Hoyt Street I was banned from using the kitchen to cook for the guys. So for several evening every week I sit down at the table and enjoy a wonderful home cooked meal. Last night was no exception - Ham, home-made applesauce with cinnamon, fried succulent plantains, spicy pasta with asparagus, and chocolate pudding with spiced whip cream for dessert! It was a true delight and I savored every bite, went back for seconds, and even some thirds. I was content and satisfied. I love these dinners and have time to sit down and enjoy the meal.
Afterward dinner, cleaning up, and doing some dishes, we went to Campus Church at Liberty University. Sitting in the energetic Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) sanctuary, we were witnesses to baptisms. How wonderful it is to see friends public confessing their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and receiving the sign of his covenant with them. "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" Romans 6:4. Walk in newness of life. I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger.
Two pictures of bread. One satisfies my physical body, one my spiritual. Without physical bread and water I quickly become irritable, in 24 hours I may begin have light headaches, and fatigue may quickly follow. Yet, that is only my physical body. The spiritual hunger is much more important. CS Lewis says if we look at death as the end of your life, we miss the whole dimension of the promises of God. But is that not what many of us do each day? "I have to make sure I eat, otherwise I get headaches" – "What's for dinner tonight" – "I am really looking forward to dinner tomorrow, we are having Thai" – "I would love to have a Hardees burger right now" – Legitimate statements, but is the spiritual cravings addressed in the same way?
I make a point to read my Bible at minimum a couple times a day. I meditate on Scripture and patch my free time with diverse readings. But this morning I ask myself if I crave the bread Christ promises to us more than my daily bread. O Lord, give me strength to guard my devotions like I guard my meals. To make reading, prayer, and meditation as regular as a breakfast, a lunch, or a dinner. Taste, savor, and explore the word of my Father with the much greater delight as when I experience a new dish of plantains. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8) or "For he satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness" (Ps. 107:9)
