Sunday, October 27, 2013

Hungry for Bread

Hungry for Bread
Oct 28, 2013
John 6:5   "When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?'"

When Jesus was teaching and performing miracles it was hard to keep people away from Him.  People flocked to Him, surrounded Him, even hounded Him at times.  It was quite honoring most of the time, as people were beginning to realize what Jesus could do for them.  No only could He heal their diseases, but He could forgive their sins and give them hope.  His teaching proved sound; His wisdom made sense to them as it captured their hearts and minds.  Jesus was in a powerful position over their lives, changing their futures forever.  The people didn't quite understand all that was going on, but they understood Jesus was changing their lives.  For this very reason, they hungered after Him.

The people actually hungered after Him so much, that on several occasions they forsook caring for their own daily needs because they were desperate to have more of Him.  On two specific instances, Jesus ended up having to feed a host of five thousand and then a host of four thousand.  The Bible counted the men in both of these circumstances but scholars suggest if you totaled women and children, it was closer to sixteen and twenty thousand.  Despite the accuracy of population statistics, it was a lot.  It wasn't just a car full of unexpected house guests, it was thousands upon thousands of people.  The people were there because they hungered after Him, despite growing weary and hungry from sitting at this feet for days on end.

The people didn't think they would end up staying for days chewing on the morsels of His workings, that's why they didn't pack any food.  They came because they wanted HIM and they stayed.  This proves one of Jesus' statements He made later, when Jesus said to Satan that man did not live by bread alone but by the Word of the Lord.  Remember that Jesus was and is the Word of the Lord and the Bread of Life .  People need sustenance for their bodies, Yes, but people need sustenance for their souls!  You and I are this same way.  We need food to keep our mortal bodies going, but we need the Word of the Lord to keep our souls in eternity.  We need the Bread of Life, not bread alone, to sustain us.

But when was the last time your soul truly hungered after the Lord?  When was the last time you were so desperate for Him that you forgot to pack a lunch or make plans for dinner?  When was the last time you got in the car, drove to meet Him, forgetting to pack your bag and yet stayed for days?  Do you realize, like the crowds around Jesus, that He has the power to change your life, your future?  If you and I realized what these crowds knew about Jesus, we would forsake our daily bread at times and not leave His presence.  We would let go of certain things in order to have more time for Him, desperate for His power to change us.  Instead, we often have to pencil in a quiet time with the Lord and keep Him on a schedule.  Afterall, you wouldn't want too much of the Lord in your life.  When was the last time you flocked to Him, surrounded Him, hounded Him and then stayed for days?

I pray you and I get a hunger so deep inside for the Lord that we forget to eat lunch just one time.  If that happened, our lives would certainly be changed forever just like it did for those crowds.  And Jesus would have to remind you and take you to dinner.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Matt 4:3-5, Matt 14:13-21, Matt 15:29-39, John 6:1-14

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