Devotional studies in the gospel of John
Scripture
For this morning's full text click here.
Jesus taught his followers a model for their prayers by giving them what has become known as the Lord's Prayer. That prayer begins with the words: Our Father in heaven... and goes on to request that God give us today out bread for the day.
God is the provider of all things. He gives us life and breath and clothing and food. Jesus points to this reality when he says 'it was not Moses who gave you bread in the wilderness but my Father'.
In the Old Testament, in Moses' day it was bread from the Father, in the form of physical food during the time of wilderness wandering (Ex. 16). Now, in this scene in John's gospel, it is the true bread from heaven, the Bread of Life himself that the Father has given . The Father gives the gift of his son to us freely and gladly. He gives his son as a way of providing bread for the entire human race.
Application
Today the daily bread I need most of all is Jesus. He is the one who satisfies my soul ('as with fat and rich food' Psalm 63) and it is he whom the Father has provided for me; for us.
This is what our Father is like. The Father of all life is generous, so generous in fact that he provided for all when he sent his son into the world.
In calling himself 'bread' Jesus is of course talking in metaphor, we aren't literally going to eat his skin and bones. He is talking symbolically but he is speaking about a very physical and tangible reality. Our soul's hunger can and is satisfied by him and him alone.
Have you ever experienced him filling your soul's deepest need? The Son is here by his Spirit to comfort, strengthen, forgive and enrich. He is here to give our soul's the feeling of being full to bursting. If you've never experienced him like that before, stop and ask him to do so today.
Prayer
Thank you Father.
Thank you for every good thing in my life. Everything I have comes from you and is a gift given by you, the best of all and most satisfying of all gifts, is the gift of your Son. Please help me to seek my satisfaction in him today. So often I turn to other things to meet my deepest needs, but I know it's you that I need most of all. Please help me. Amen.
Scripture
For this morning's full text click here.
Jesus 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.
John 6:32Observation
Jesus taught his followers a model for their prayers by giving them what has become known as the Lord's Prayer. That prayer begins with the words: Our Father in heaven... and goes on to request that God give us today out bread for the day.
God is the provider of all things. He gives us life and breath and clothing and food. Jesus points to this reality when he says 'it was not Moses who gave you bread in the wilderness but my Father'.
In the Old Testament, in Moses' day it was bread from the Father, in the form of physical food during the time of wilderness wandering (Ex. 16). Now, in this scene in John's gospel, it is the true bread from heaven, the Bread of Life himself that the Father has given . The Father gives the gift of his son to us freely and gladly. He gives his son as a way of providing bread for the entire human race.
Application
Today the daily bread I need most of all is Jesus. He is the one who satisfies my soul ('as with fat and rich food' Psalm 63) and it is he whom the Father has provided for me; for us.
This is what our Father is like. The Father of all life is generous, so generous in fact that he provided for all when he sent his son into the world.
In calling himself 'bread' Jesus is of course talking in metaphor, we aren't literally going to eat his skin and bones. He is talking symbolically but he is speaking about a very physical and tangible reality. Our soul's hunger can and is satisfied by him and him alone.
Have you ever experienced him filling your soul's deepest need? The Son is here by his Spirit to comfort, strengthen, forgive and enrich. He is here to give our soul's the feeling of being full to bursting. If you've never experienced him like that before, stop and ask him to do so today.
Prayer
Thank you Father.
Thank you for every good thing in my life. Everything I have comes from you and is a gift given by you, the best of all and most satisfying of all gifts, is the gift of your Son. Please help me to seek my satisfaction in him today. So often I turn to other things to meet my deepest needs, but I know it's you that I need most of all. Please help me. Amen.