Eat Him Every Day
January 26, 2012
Friends,
“The life appeared… and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” (1 John 1:2) He is the Eternal Life and “the Word of life.” (v. 1) For “the Word was God” (John 1:1) and became flesh, living for a while among us in a human body. (v. 14) “He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20), thus the only way to the Father (John 14:6) because He is also the Truth and the Life. (same verse) His name is Jesus.
He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35) –”the living bread that came down from heaven.” (v. 51) “If a man eats this bread, he will live forever.” (same verse) Jesus continues, “This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (same verse) This He did when He died on the cross.
Someone may ask as did the Jews, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (v. 52) Jesus answers that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood, and that unless we do so, we have no life in us, and thus no eternal life. (v. 53-58) Why? Because Jesus is the Life. Therefore we must have Him in us.
How do we get Jesus in us? We feed on His words, He who is “the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1 again) As Jesus says, “The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) This is how we get His Spirit in us. –By getting His words into us. Is this done by sitting back and letting God do all the work as many teachers insist? No. Jesus commands us, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (v. 27) There we have it: Jesus gives the food to us, but we must work for it as well. Many teachers will point out that our work is to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Yes, Jesus says this in verse 29, but the proof of our belief is that we will be in the Word (Ps. 119:97-106), be obedient and holy (Heb. 3:12,18,19 & 12:14), and thus have the Spirit flowing from within us. (John 7:37,38 / Acts 5:32)
Jesus contrasts the manna God gave to the Israelites in the desert with the true bread of God –Himself. (6:32,33,49,50,58) But the comparison is also made: The bread must be eaten, fed upon –daily and in regular, adequate amounts. This is how men live. (Matt. 4:4) We cannot eat a huge amount one day and starve ourselves after that, thinking it will sustain us for the rest of our lives (or even the rest of the week). God taught this Truth way back in Ex. 16:4 when He told Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.” And, “Each one is to gather as much as he needs.” (v. 16) Let’s take note that God instructed them to 1) go out each day, and 2) gather enough for that particular day. Therefore, as everyone’s bodies are not sustained on the exact same amount, neither is everyone’s spirits sustained on the same amount. The amount is not the issue; the issue is time spent feeding on Him (the Word) –daily.
God continues in Ex. 16:4: “In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions.” This relates to His instructions that we show our fervent love for Him by meditating on the Word day and night (Dt. 6:5-7 / Josh. 1:8) so that we will not sin against Him (Ps. 119:11) and so that we will grow in holiness and the wisdom and knowledge of Him which leads to salvation. (Eph. 1:17 / Col. 3:16 / 2 Tim. 3:15 / James 1:21 / 1 Peter 1:23)
Concerning the manna gathered daily, Moses told the people, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” (Dt. 16:19) “However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.” (v. 20) Why did they keep some leftovers? Likely because they did not want to trouble themselves every morning with the gathering. But as the leftover manna spoiled and could not be relied upon to sustain a person, God is telling us that He requires us to go to Him every day that we might gather spiritual food that is new and fresh.
This is how we remain in Christ and He in us (John 15:4,5) so that we produce fruit, in ourselves and in the world, that will last. (v. 4,5,16 / Gal. 5:22,23) For as Jesus says, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:56) Therefore, “the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (v. 57) “Feeds” is a present-tense word, so it means “daily”, even “continually”.
This is believing in Christ. This is working, not for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life. (John 6:27 again) This spiritual food is the Word –Jesus Himself.
Sincerely,
with love,
Rachel
