John 6:34-40
"Sir," they said, "always give us this bread." 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.
The Lord said here, "I am the bread of life." When the Israelites heard the Lord say this, they immediately said to him: "Sir, always give us this bread." They were still thinking about earthly things, probably thinking about the earthly manna and the material things. Quite often, people's thoughts are still revolving around material things. No wonder many Christians are still stuck in the "Aladdin" type of faith: when there's a need or difficulty, we get the magic lamp and rub it, then the Genie appears and say to us: "Master, what can I do for you?"
But the Lord said here, I am not the earthly food, I am the bread of life. For our life to be fully satisfied, it is not a matter of material things, but it is from the sovereign one who created everything in the universe and gives us life. This is our God. Brothers and sisters, our life really needs to be trained through drilling exercises. God allows us to go through many "character shaping" events, so that we can find out what we are lacking. At the same time, God also gives us sufficient power and wisdom to go through these "character shaping" experiences.
What we need the most living on earth is not money or material things. I remembered once I told the brothers and sisters in West Africa, "We may desire Western material things. But just giving you material things is not going to help you one bit. Because, I can give you a car, but after a couple of years you won't be able to use it; I can give you a computer, but after a couple of years this computer will become obsolete." What we need the most today is spiritual wisdom. When you have spiritual wisdom, you can find the way out in whatever difficult circumstances you are in, because God gives you this kind of wisdom.
Let our eyes no longer focus on the materials things on earth. Because after you eat, you may feel full, but afterwards you will still get hungry again. God, however, is the bread of life. He wants to give us the wisdom of life to overcome all the difficulties of our environment. Brothers and sisters, we need this bread of life. Let us seek him, asking God to help us, to give us this kind of power.
Pray with Pastor Tong
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