John 6:25-40

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 min)

2) Scripture Reading - John 6:25-4025 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
 30 So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[a]”
 32 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
 34 “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”
 35 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. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” 

3) DevotionalIn this passage, the people sought after Jesus for the tangible things He could do for them - they were hungry.  The day before - they experienced the miracle of the "Feeding of the Five Thousand".  They associated Him with food.  He met their physical needs.  When He revealed Himself to be the Bread of Life, the one sent by God Himself to feed their spiritual hunger, all they could do was ask for another sign. . . another miracle, as though His Words in and of themselves were not enough.

True belief requires faith and trust, but so often, just like the people in this story, we equate it with the physical manifestations of God's care for us, and not purely on His word.  We look for signs.  For many, our faith goes up and down, depending upon how our life is going at the moment.  If we have a job and are making money, God is good, and God cares.  If we don't, we somehow equate that with God not caring, and not being a presence in our lives.  If we are enjoying good health, we must be pleasing God.  On the flip side, if we are sick, we must be doing something wrong.  We attach God's love for us, and His desire for us to experience "eternal life" with physical pleasure and care.  That's the human side of us.

True belief is trusting in His spiritual love and care for us, even when everything around us "physically" is screaming something else.  True belief is learning to walk with faith and trust in the Bread of Life, the Savior of the world, allowing His Spirit to feed our spirit the true bread from heaven!        

4) Questions to ConsiderIs your love for and belief in God conditional - based on whether or not He is meeting your perceived physical needs?  If it is, confess it to Him - for He already knows, and ask Him to feed your soul with the spiritual food that will fill you to overflowing!

5) PrayerLord Jesus, help me to believe in your care for me, even when everything else around me says not to.  Help me to allow your spiritual food to fill my soul and build up my faith and trust in You.  In Jesus Name, Amen!

John 6:16-24

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 min)

2) Scripture Reading: John 6:16-24

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

 ²² The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. ²³ Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

3) Questions to Consider and Devotional Thought:Would you be “willing to take Him into the boat” or would you ask Him to pass by?
If Jesus suddenly appeared to you as He had to the disciples in this passage, what would you do?

The disciples often get criticized  for their lack of faith in this passage. After all, many people have suggested to me that fear is the opposite of faith and the disciples were frightened. However, the disciples welcome Jesus into the boat knowing that He is the solution to their difficult circumstances, not a threat to their well being.

Jesus often appears to me by the power of the Holy Spirit, especially as I read His Word or when I am praying. I know it is Him because the passage or message is so clear to me. Sometimes, I am not willing to take Him into my life when He speaks to me. I say to myself, “This is not the Lord, it must be something else.” This is my typical reaction when I already have my own plans or if what Jesus is asking me to do is difficult. In essence, I ask Jesus to pass by rather than asking Him to join me.

Jesus never forces Himself on us. In fact, He is very polite. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says,  “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Did you notice that Jesus does not barge in? He politely knocks on the door of your heart and waits for you to answer. He wants us to ask Him into our lives and to allow us to join Him in His work. And when we do, we realize our real purpose for being drawn into a personal relationship with Jesus. Never forget that God chose us for a purpose. Without joining Jesus when He call to us, we will never know what that purpose is.

4) Prayer: Lord, speak to me and give me the courage to answer “yes” to what you ask of me, Amen.

5) Conclude with Silence (2 min)