AUGUST 17, 2015
Baking with Jess
Read:
John
6:22-34
Do
not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to
everlasting life. — John 6:27
One morning as Lilia prepared for work, her 4-year-old daughter
Jess set to work too. The family had purchased a conveyor toaster, and the
concept of cycling bread through the small countertop oven fascinated Jess.
Minutes later, Lilia discovered a loaf and a half of toast piled on the
counter. “I’m a very good baker!” Jess declared.
It’s no miracle that an inquisitive girl could turn bread into
toast. But when Jesus transformed a boy’s five loaves and two fish into a meal
for thousands, the crowd on the hillside recognized the miraculous nature of
the event and wanted to make Him king (see John 6:1-15).
Jesus’ kingdom, of course, is “not of this world” (John 18:36),
and so He slipped away. When the crowd found Him the next day, Christ
identified a flaw in their motives: “You seek Me, not because you saw the
signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (6:26). They
mistakenly thought “King” Jesus would give them full stomachs and national
freedom. But Jesus counseled them, “Do not labor for the food which perishes,
but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (v. 27).
An earthbound view will cause us to treat Jesus as a means to an
end. He is, in fact, our Bread of Life.
Lord, our cares and worries can keep us from a genuine
relationship with You. May we see You as our very food and not only as our
divine problem-solver.
Seek
first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. Jesus
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015