"FOOD and DRINK"

Good Evening to All! Tonight's Seed: "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35 NIV) It's time to eat--again. Sometimes it's as if all we do is eat and drink. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, snack before bed, middle of the night munchies--we eat and eat. For some of us, it shows! Others munch and their metabolism keeps the weight off. But the bread and drink that God offers provides so much more than mere nutrition or oral satisfaction. The bread of life Jesus speaks of is Jesus himself. When we come to him, Jesus offers eternal life to us--if we believe in him. Our spiritual hunger will be satisfied; our spiritual thirst will be quenched. We don't need to wait until our next meal to have our spiritual needs met. Jesus will meet them all--right now. Talk about fast food! Anytime we want food for the soul we can reach for the Bible. It will stay with us and not leave us hungry. Jesus is the Bread of Life. He is the one who gives us physical life and spiritual meaning. He gives the promise of life in heaven after physical death and the encouragement of spiritual refreshment for hard days on earth. From food we get the energy we need to do life's chores. From God and His Word, we get the spiritual power we need to resist temptation and discouragement. We need to go to Jesus each day for his abundant supply of our daily bread. Dig Deeper: The Greek word for "bread" is artos. Bread is the staple in diets across the world. Jesus gives life to us, as bread provides life-giving nutrition. Background Bulb: This statement is the first of seven that Jesus used that began with the words "I am." It is similar to the Old Testament statement when God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14 NIV). Now I may be reading more into this verse than should be but you decide. According to the King James Version this verse states. "And God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I AM" (my emphasis). To me the words "who" and "that do not interchange. Who is "general" while "that" is specific. In other words the word "THAT" specifies "I am THAT God who is your provider,healer, peace, and everything else you are in need of. I AM THAT I AM. God told Moses he wanted to be known by this name. When Jesus used the same phrase, "I am," he was in danger of being stoned by the Jewish leaders as a blasphemer. The Jews recognized Jesus' claim as a statement of his deity, and they rebelled against that claim. Jesus wanted his hearers to trust in him as a person, not just believe he was great because of all the miracles he did. Sprout & Scatter: Don''t be hesitant of self-conscious about saying a blessing for your meals when dining out. Set an example for your children, family, and friends by having a prayer, complete with bowed heads. It only takes a minutes to thank God for what he as provided for you. Think about it: When Jesus described himself as the bread of life, what did he mean? How does physical hunger compare to spiritual hunger? If you were truly hungry spiritually, what would you do differently? Prayer Pot: Lord, help me to hunger and thirst for you by . . . (Insert your own thoughts) Take-Away Idea: Jesus is food for the soul. This will more than likely be my last post until Saturday night or Sunday depending on how tired I am from the trip when I arrive home. Tomorrow will be very hectic during the day, church tomorrow night and when I get home I will have to wash clothes and pack for my Conference Trip starting Thursday. I know I will come back refreshed in the Holy Spirit, and filled with the Word and excitement to tell y'all all about my experience. This is the first time I have been able to stay the full three days. I am really excited about what God is going to do! Good Night to ALL and May God Bless! Reference "Bible Seeds" by Patsy Clairmont, Florence Littauer, and Starburst publishers Holy Bible King James Version