“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'” — John 6:35
When food and fuel prices jump up higher, it’s easy for our faith to falter. Though some athletes and coaches are multimillionaires, many young athletes earn modest incomes, while others spend everything they make and aren’t prepared for sudden changes. If we run out of necessities, then fear and doubt easily take over our minds. What if we run out of food? How will we get to work if gas prices continue to rise?
In times of trouble, we receive encouragement if we rehearse the many ways God preserved the Israelites. When they left Egypt, they traveled through a barren wilderness for 40 years, but God sent food down from Heaven to satisfy their hunger. “The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan” (Exodus 16:35).
When Jesus came, He continued to show concern for our needs. Jesus fed 5,000 people on one occasion and fed 4,000 another time. “He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand were present…” (Mark 8:6-9).
And as God provides for our physical needs, He also gives everlasting spiritual bread for us when we believe. “For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. … Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty'” (John 6:33, 35).
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
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