Sitting on my back porch in the waning daylight, I enjoy watching as patches of gray, red, and blue flit through the air. Busy wings then grow still as the birds alight on my newly acquired feeder. A few years prior, thieving squirrels stymied my efforts to feed these feathered wonders. Moving its location and even oiling the pole was not enough to keep the wily rodents from robbing the birds of the seed. Then, a friend introduced me to a spring-loaded feeder that closes if anything heavier than a bird lands on its ledge.

Like a bird feeding at a never-ending supply of seed, the apostles came to experience—in every sense of the word (1 John 1:1)—that Jesus was the “bread of life” (John 6:35,48). Others who were initially fascinated with the Messiah’s ability to meet their physical needs were all too willing to walk away when Jesus called them into intimate relationship with Him (John 6:58,60,63-66). But Peter, when given the same challenge, responded by saying, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life” (John 6:68).

Like thieving squirrels, the things of this world can strip men and women of their God-intended destiny. From false philosophies to personal diatribes aimed at the heart, people look for life-giving provision in the words they hear around them—only to find that they have been robbed of hope (Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 26:28).

Jesus came offering words of life. Words of hope. Words of love. As emissaries of His kingdom, we’re commissioned with offering the same to those we encounter. Life will always bring moments of frustration; but whether we’re speaking to close family or perfect strangers, we must take up the challenge to be life-givers, bearers of the seed of truth.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Judges 6:1-40