Isaac Penington, an early defender and promoter of the Quaker movement (founded in 17th-century England), said, “Thus has the Lord been teaching me to live upon Himself, not from anything received from Him but upon the Life itself.”
The crowd in John 6 wanted to live off Jesus, not because their hearts were loyal to Him, but because their hearts were loyal to what they thought He could provide for them—food and deliverance from Roman oppression.
The provision of the loaves of bread (John 6:8-13) was, in their minds, a confirmation of this. So Jesus withdrew, showing His rejection of their perception of the kind of Messiah they desired (John 6:14-15).
The next day the crowd looked for Him and found Him, suggesting a successful quest (John 6:22,25). Again, they had followed Him because of what they thought He could provide for them. But Jesus turned the tables on them and identified Himself as the Bread of Life (John 6:35). He—rather than the law or anything else—was the source of eternal life (John 6:33,48,51,58). Only those who believed in Jesus and internalized His words, ethics, pattern of thinking, and truth would find true fulfillment in life. This was so radically different from what the people had in mind that some of them stopped following Him (John 6:60-66).
In our consumer-driven world, it’s easy to follow Jesus just for “the loaves.” But He alone can satisfy our deepest hunger for Himself. He will satisfy us when we stay connected to Him (see John 15:1-17) through reading and living out His words; when we stay connected to His body of believers, and when we serve others as He did.
Let’s follow Jesus, not simply because He can provide the loaves, but because He alone is God and—as we trust in Him—He provides all we need for life today and for all eternity. —Marvin Williams
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today:1 Kings 3:1-15
More:
Read John 4 to see how the Samaritan woman’s perception of Jesus changed during their conversation.
Next:
Why do you follow Jesus? How has your perception of Him changed over the years? What has been surprising? Shocking? Reassuring?
eppistle on April 13, 2011 at 6:11 am
Seek the giver rather than the gifts to experience the true prosperity Gospel. For the pauper who experiences the glorious riches of the fullness of God and the infinite four-dimensional love of Christ (Ephesians 3:14-19) is by far more prosperous than the billionaire who does not. How can we discontent if our joy is found in the Lord?
marvin williams on April 13, 2011 at 2:59 pm
eppistle, I love the first part of your first line – seek the giver rather than the gifts. We all have been guilty at some point of seeking God for material blessings more than seeking God for himself. I want to declare like Habbakuk – the just shall live by their faith (in God alone) Thanks for sharing your thoughts here.
cricket41 on April 13, 2011 at 7:11 am
Good Morning! Yes for many years I wanted instant gratification, until I got in trouble (which was alot). I would plead and beg God to get me out of whatever it was that I was in. I promised I would never do it again, I asked for all kinds of things. Alcohol and gambling were out of control and my marriage was about over. The day I let go and let God was amazing. We were ready to lose our home, I was petrified and called the mortgage company crying and asking for help. The man on the phone told me that “God is not going to let you lose your home” I said ” could you please tell me again what you just said? and he repeated it. I did not know that man and he did not know me? People who work in customer service and that sort of thing are not allowed to talk like that. today our home is payed for. My husband and I realized thru those few years of neglecting God that everything went down hill and we were almost homeless, we also saw that when we turned it around and started serving God and asking God daily for help He supplied our every need. We ALWAYS got what we needed on time, not what WE WANTED. Today we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams, because of God in our lives, and only God!!! Today The Lords prayer says it all. We need to keep building our faith and trust which is not easy, but it is so rewarding if you believe and want God’s will.
marvin williams on April 13, 2011 at 3:03 pm
cricket41, wow! Thanks for being so transparent and open with this portion of your story. The story of your journey blessed my heart, and from the comments below, you blessed others as well. Sometimes God has to take us to the desert to show us who he is, doesn’t he? It’s not fun, but it sure deepens our dependence. Blessings on you for opening up your life to us.
cricket41 on April 13, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Hi Marvin, my life today is an open book. I was so messed up on alcohol and drugs, I grew up with a mentally ill mother and there was some type of violence inflicted on me and my siblings daily. We all were sexually abused by friends of the family. My parents were always drunk. This may sound strange, but I am glad I went thru what I went thru, it has taught me to be compassionate and kind towards others, and animals. ( i watched my parents abuse animals). I am not looking for pity, pity allowed me to keep drinking and drugging for many years. If anything that I went thru can help another human being than yes I will talk about it, I don’t care if the whole world hears. It is not about me anymore, it’s about The Lord, and what He has done for me. Jesus is my medicine for a healthy mind and spirit. sorry this is so long and thank you for allowing me to respond to the awesome readings daily.
GChoo on April 13, 2011 at 12:43 pm
What an important reminder! Marvin, thank you. Also, Cricket41 thank you for your sharing. Praise God for the deep faith you have in Him.
Many christians came to the faith with the knowledge of salvation and help from God, but have many a time forgotten about God’s teaching. We hear but we do not act. We agree but does not mean we will do. When we are in happy times, we put God at the back of our mind. However, when we are in difficult times or troubles, we pray for God to help us right now. And when God did not fulfill our prayer request we doubt Him. I have had my share of this attitude in the past. I am thankful that God is so merciful to get me out of my troubles and bring me back close to Him. He has promised us in Hebrew 13:5 ‘…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ What a compassionate and faithful God we have and I am so grateful for the privilege of knowing Him.
marvin williams on April 13, 2011 at 3:08 pm
GChoo, you just said a mouthful. I think all of us has been there at one point in our journey with Jesus. I am so glad that we have a merciful Father who dumps buckets of garce and mercy on us when we fail him. Though it seems like God is aloof or distant, He is always doing something. Even when we create our own messes, he is patient and full of love. Thanks for reminding us of the Hebrews passage. Blessings!
sowharvest on April 13, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Marvin thank you for putting “Jesus” and what He means to us in the proper perspective. And Cricket 41 Praise GOD for the witness that you bear to the teaching this day. The words reminded me that I never never walk alone. I admit I don’t always get that it is not on my time but at “HIs appointed time” Hab 2:3. Praise be to GOD. Thank you Jesus.
marvin williams on April 13, 2011 at 3:10 pm
sowharvest, we are all learning about God’s timing. We must trust God even when we can’t trace God. I am humbled and grateful that this devotional was meaningful to you. I have to always remind myself that my following Jesus is not about the loaves. Thanks for sharing your comments here.
daisymarygoldr on April 13, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Great post and comments!
Always the physical comes first—and then the spiritual. First, Jesus miraculously fed the people with physical food and then offered them spiritual bread. First, He asked the Samaritan woman for literal water and then offered her the living water. Unfortunately the natural man cannot desire or understand spiritual things. That is why we seek satisfaction from material things and follow Jesus just for the “loaves”.
It is not possible to have a perception of Jesus as the Bread of Life and believe in Him, unless we are born again by His Spirit. To believe in Christ means to obey His Words. Jesus has set a much higher standard for us to follow. And this is the hard part—which causes many to forsake Him. It is a.k.a unbelief.
Those who believe and feed on Christ will spontaneously develop His pattern of thinking. Christ-like conduct, conversation, and behavior cannot be acquired by experience or learning. We need not be taught or told to love and be kind to one another. As we live in Christ, His life will be innately produced in every believer.
You know what? In the body of Christ, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, slave or free, male or female, barbaric or civilized. But there will always remain a division between the natural/fleshly and the spiritual.
Thanks Marvin for teaching us to follow Jesus because He alone is God and is the source of life—eternal!
marvin williams on April 13, 2011 at 3:14 pm
daisymarygoldr, I really appreciated your comments. I think we live according to sight so much, that we simply don’t know how to live by faith. We are too rich, have too much stuff, and live like there will be a never-ending supply of “stuff.” Sometimes, God will remind us in some very direct and harsh ways that he is the one we really need. Thanks for adding your voice here. Blessings!
cuddles on April 13, 2011 at 5:56 pm
I think the youth of to-day has been particularly affected by having too much too young and I admit I am guilty of over indulging my sons because of my husband and I separating I tried to compensate with material things and I see others doing it all the time. I visit a lady of 92 and she tells me stories of how she made ends meet during the war and I have got my eyes open just to how much my son spends and thinks nothing of it. The love of money and material things has poisoned society and I think the breakdown in the economy is Gods way of telling us all to get back to our old values. I know I am guilty of falling away from them. Pray that I can get back on track and that God will guide me and my son.
conmeo on April 13, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Thank you all. And thank God for all of you. Marvin Cricket and the rest of you have saved me tonight through Jesus. I was ready to end it because of my loss and sin but you encouraged me again. Praise God for all of you. Bless God and may he bless us all.
Clarence Wong on April 14, 2011 at 3:25 am
Thank you for the devotional. Feeling refreshed after a days of work. Always nice to mediate on His words =)
aletabugg on April 21, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Wow! I am so encouraged by this devotional! Thank you! I have been going through a very difficult time financially for years now, but God has promised me a breakthrough! And, as I rely on Him more and more, I see my desire for more money really wasn’t the answer to walking in alignment with His will!! But when I think of God’s goodness, mercy and grace, really, when we really think about it, nothing else matters in this world! Nothing! So, as the Lord continues to teach me to trust Him, and build my faith, I am seeing and learning how to live totally dependent on Him!
@conmeo – Please know that God loves you and it His will for you to know how deep, wide, infinite and awesome His love if for you!! Keep living for Him!