JESUS SPEAKING
Therefore they said to him, “What sign will you perform then, that we may see it and believe you? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to him, “Lord give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “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: 30-35.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
After leaving Egypt in a mass exodus, the Israelites wandered around in the desert; they lacked the two most basic essentials for life; food and water. God however, who had led them in to the wilderness provided for all of their needs. The Lord made water spring from the dry, arid soil. Also, every day, God sent down a strange dew from the sky that settled on the desert floor; the people were able to eat it and were filled (because the Israelites didn’t know what it was, they named it “manna,” which translated, means “what is it?” Later it became known as ‘The bread from heaven.’) Jesus referred to himself as the ‘bread from heaven;’ for he was sent to provide life to those who would receive him. Each person in this world is wandering in a desert; everyone is thirsty; everyone hungers for spiritual sustenance. Every man woman and child has a hole inside of them that can only be filled by God. Most try to fill that hole with other things; drugs and alcohol, sex, careers, material possessions; yet such pleasures only satisfy for a moment; they are fleeting; they can never produce a lasting peace. Jesus Christ however, can fill the empty space where God is meant to dwell; only he can provide eternal satisfaction and everlasting life.
Before I became a Christian, I was hopelessly addicted to cigarettes. I smoked first thing in the morning and before bed; I smoked before meals and after meals; I smoked in my car and in my house; I smoked everywhere (I often left the movie theatre halfway through the movie to have a cigarette.) I was obsessed with nicotine products; I used them for comfort and security; one cigarette would bring me a momentary measure of peace; when that peace ran out, I had to smoke another; the serenity never lasted more than an hour; I was a slave to my addiction. After receiving Jesus Christ, I found a lasting peace; a peace that was not fleeting. The God shaped hole in my heart had been filled; I no longer needed to fill it with anything else. The cigarettes began to lose their power over me. Soon, I no longer needed them. With God’s help, I was one day delivered from my nicotine addiction.
Everyone has a God shaped hole inside of them that can only be filled by Jesus Christ. Those who refuse to accept him will never know true peace. Those who receive him, will be set free from their addictions and from the bondage of sin and death; their hearts and minds will be renewed and their lives will be transformed. They will experience everlasting joy, and they will one day dwell in the house of the lord forever [If you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior and would like too, please contact me, and we can discuss how you can make that decision today.]
“Lord Heavenly Father, we desperately desire new life. Fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit. May we receive Your Son and submit our lives to Your leading. Help us to be fully committed to You; set us free from our vices and addictions. Give us Your peace; the peace that surpasses all understanding; may we never again thirst or hunger for anything but You. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 