City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

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.

John 6:35

He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity p 50

A man can eat his dinner without understanding exactly how food nourishes him. A man can accept what Christ has done without knowing how it works: indeed, he certainly would not know how it works until he has accepted it.

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity p 55

Exegesis

Living on the wrong spiritual fuel is like eating nothing but junk food 24/7. It may feel good upon consumption, but in the long run it causes multiple health problems, including but not limited to chronic fatigue, diabetes, obesity, heart attacks, strokes, and eventually death. Shortly after Jesus fed five thousand people, He explained He, Himself, is our true nourishment, and judging from the miracle, there’s more than enough to go around. Many of his disciples did not understand his teaching and left, except for the twelve. Although they didn’t completely understand Jesus or what He had come to do, they knew He spoke true of eternal life.

Application

We were told as children to eat our greens because they were good for us. We didn’t understand how they were beneficial, we just ate them (maybe not to be healthy, but to avoid punishment). But as we became older we realized they were high in vitamins and fiber, and slim the waistline. And we ate them not to avoid punishment, but for their benefits. Now we encourage our children to do the same.

This is very similar to new Christ-followers and their journey with Jesus. They may give their lives to Jesus to avoid hell, but as they mature in their relationship with Christ, they realize it is the best and only way to live. They might not understand at first the necessity of regular prayer and Bible study, but with the help of more mature Christ-followers, they will. And when they grow into mature Christ-followers themselves, they will guide younger ones.

Prayer

Dearest Jesus, thank You for being the true Bread of Life, and for providing for my needs. Help me to persevere even if I don’t understand at first. And when I do understand, grant me the wisdom and right words to help those who don’t. In Your Most Precious Name I pray, amen.