Bread of LIfe

Today’s post is about the “Bread of Life.” (John 6:48) Birthday cake is made of bread, and today is my birthday. I get to eat the bread which celebrates life. That is fun. I look forward to my birthday. I tell people I think I’m 39 … “again.” I do things with a little more zest.

Some tell me I’ve had a lot of birthday cake. I’ve had cakes so many years in a row that it is normal, and even mundane. (That’s not nice or true… it is still fun for me).

For some who live life a long time, it is normal and mundane. Life drags day after day. Jesus said, “Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.” (John 6:49) They ate manna every day of every week for forty years. Day after day they picked up manna. The only variety was Friday when they picked up enough for two days, and Saturday when they were able to rest.

Keith Green suggests they were able to get creative in cooking the manna. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foUH4No_SVU) But I think for most families it was the same day after day. Manna, Manna, Manna.

Water is a necessity in life (John 4). Wine is an “extra” in life (John 2). Bread is a staple. Our blessings over food recognize this: “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth;” and “Give us today our daily bread.”

Jesus tells us life is more. Jesus said. “I am the living bread.” (We are to be alive and not dead) He added:

• This is the bread that comes down from heaven, (this means it is special)
• This is the bread a man may eat and not die. (This bread should keep us from being mundane)
• If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. (This bread adds zest to life)
  This bread I give for the life of the world. (Jesus was willing to give personally of His time, energy, and even His life for the world)

The bread of Jesus is free. The bread of Jesus is to be shared with others (it grows stale if hoarded). The bread of Jesus should add fullness and fun to life. When we have the bread of life we should live with more zest. We should do more good. We should not count the cost (like Philip … we should be more like Jesus). We should share the bread of life (like Andrew and Jesus) so others can life.