John 6:30-35 "They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? (31) Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. (32) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. (33) For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. (34) Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. (35) And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
The people had seen Jesus multiply the loaves and fishes in order to feed the
multitude of thousands. Jesus had now told them to seek and feed upon that
which feeds not the belly, but feeds the soul. "Our fathers did eat manna
in the desert," they said. They even quoted Scripture in reminding
Jesus of this. As though He needed reminding. Their understanding of the
miracle of manna from heaven stopped short of the true lesson. The ultimate
reason for the manna was to show those people, and us today, that our Heavenly
Father provides our every need. And He is not restricted in resources in the
manner in which He does provide.
The lesson Jesus was showing them went much deeper than having a belly filled
with food, or any other thing that could be held in the hand. God's provision
for His people is found in our very hearts and minds. When we feed from that
which endures unto everlasting life, we are feeding from the very life of Jesus
Christ Himself. We are drawing from His strength and His peace. We are sharing
His joy and His contentment. We are partaking of the life of our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ.
How can we, as God's children, partake of the goodness of our Lord? Jesus
spoke the answer very simply and very much to the point. Believe on Him. Next devotion we will look at the doctrinal issue that follows this simple
direction; but for now, simply think on the way you react, or respond, when
situations come that you cannot deal with. What do you do? Do you try to
"repair" every situation yourself? Or, do you take it to the Lord and
seek His blessing of intervention? Jesus said, "Believe on
me."