The Lord "does great things that we cannot comprehend." Job 37:5
We will never fully comprehend the love of the Father for His creation. In Jesus we are offered the gift of life. It cannot be earned nor is it merited but the gift of God for all who choose to believe. In Him we lack nothing that is needed for this life or for eternity. Be still and watch Holy Spirit move in your life and the lives of those we touch with God’s love.
John 6:35-40 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
the agape love of God allowed Jesus to offer up His sinless life for ours. Love God and others for in doing so we fulfill the will of God. Carla
Since the audience continues to miss the point that Jesus is referring to Himself as the one sent by God, Jesus makes the point explicit. Jesus uses seven metaphorical “I am” statements to define His role as Savior and Messiah. These sayings also carry strong overtones of being claims to divinity. He identifies Himself as the bread of life (verse 35, 48, 51), the light of the world (8:12; 9:5), the gate for the sheep (10:7, 9), the good shepherd (10:11, 14), the resurrection and the life (11:25), the way and the truth and the life (14:6), and the true vine (15:1). Jesus’ ‘I Am’ alludes to Old Testament expectations of divine redemption (Isaiah 49:10; 55:1).
Jesus briefly sets aside the topic of the “bread of life” to expound on the issue of the Jews’ persistent unbelief, reiterating His role as agent of the divine will and stressing that eternal life is gained through belief in Him.
No one who believes in Jesus will be rejected by Him. Faithlife Study Bible
Bread of life means “bread which supplies life.” Manna satisfied physical needs for a while; Christ satisfies spiritual need forever (4:13, 14).
Seeing does not necessarily mean believing (verse 30; 11:46–57), although sometimes it does (11:45; 20:29). On the other hand, Christ blesses those who believe without having seen (20:29).
Christ will not cast out any who come to Him because He came to do the Father’s will. The will of the Father is twofold: (1) that all who come to the Son will be received and not lost; (2) that all who see and believe on the Son will have everlasting life. The NKJV Study Bible
John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
John 6:48 I am the bread of life.
John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
John 7:37–38 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
John 6:58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
There are two places we need to go often.
A place that heals you.
And a place that inspires you.
Both places embrace the permission (the invitation) to show up. To this life. To this day. To be here now. Because we know that we bring the gift of enough. To spill light where we can, in a world where darkness is real.
More than ever, I carry Maya Angelou’s words with me, “My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.”
And let us remember Mr. Rogers’ affirmation, “There’s something deep inside, that helps us become what we can.”
On the pilgrimage each one of us walks, we are fueled by our inherent value. Those places of beauty, creativity, resilience, imagination, courage and humor. And kindness. Those places of healing. And places of inspiration. To trust, find beauty, and to be vulnerable. To share pain, joy, and connection. To, with practice, patience (okay, lots of patience), faith, and grace, continue walking.
And here’s the deal: Sometimes we do indeed need a different way to measure what really matters.
Because on this walk—this pilgrimage—we walk toward, or we walk away.
Toward what enriches. Or toward what diminishes.
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” Iain Thomas. “Sabbath Moments”
Ecclesiastes 1:11 mentions "former things," which could also be translated as "beginning things," and Genesis 1:1 declares, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." His design was restful, not exhausting (Genesis 2:2-3). He filled people with His breath of life (Genesis 2:7). He "saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:10).But when humans chose to disobey God, struggle, striving, and sweat became a part of life on earth. Now "the eye is not satisfied with seeing" God's good world (Ecclesiastes 1:8) because we also behold brokenness. We see that "what has been is what will be" (Ecclesiastes 1:9) because there has been sin, there is sin, and there will be even more sin.
No wonder we're tired.
So how do we keep going when it feels like we can't take another step?
We remember what else has been, is, and will be:
"Through this great wilderness ... the LORD your God has been with you" (Deuteronomy 2:7).
"The LORD is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1).
"Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).
Today we may be sweating under the sun, and Ecclesiastes reminds us it's OK to lament our weariness. But let's not forget the finish line, friends. God promises His people that we're not just running in circles. He sent His Son to redeem the world, and when we run to Jesus, our race ends in eternal satisfaction and rest: "In the day of Christ [we] may be proud that [we] did not run in vain" (Philippians 2:16). First5
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