The passage I read was John 6:52-69
You can find that passage here:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+6:52-69&version=NIV
The verse that most stood out to me:
This one was a bit too lengthy and I found I was having difficulty attempting to summarize it. I have instead chosen to share the 2 verses that most stood out to me.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
As I reflect:
Metaphors, metaphors, metaphors. How handy it woulda been for many to have known that these were metaphors. Perhaps though, it was the intent of Jesus to thin the crowd of “disciples” following Him? I know that telling someone that they will have to eat you and drink your blood will cause them to not want to be around you. If I know that, then Jesus surely knew it and said what He did any way. I believe there was a reason.
The Metaphor of eating and drinking was a common one in that day and here it refers to us taking in the Spirit of God and living through Him. I believe that many who followed after Jesus were concerned with things of the flesh but that Jesus was concerned with things of the spirit and to separate (not bring peace) the Lord sought division between those who followed for selfish gain and fleshly things, and those who were concerned with the life giving Word of God.
The Bible refers to Jesus as the Word and has several references to how the Word gives us life. We not only have eternal life in Heaven through the Word as in the Son of God, but also we have life more abundantly through reading and applying the written Word of God to our lives daily. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit, consuming entirely all that the Lord is and thus be empowered to act on His word daily as we walk this narrow path. Lead us take daily bread (as in time with the Lord and time with the word He has given us) that we may be filled anew each day. The many hard teachings I have been looking at recently are simply impossible for us if we don’t first come to the Lord and be filled with Him wise life giving words in the scriptures.
Oh that we may do the same thing that Jesus did here and discourage every fleshly motive for attending churches, reading Bibles, fellowshipping, etc, both in others and in ourselves and just get back to the basics. Let’s put Him first. Let His word come alive in you and allow you to live full of the bread of life.
My response to the Lord:
Holy God, your words ring true in every given aspect of life. There is nowhere and no one that your word doesn’t apply to. There is no situation in which your wisdom would not prove a powerful tool for life. From your word, I have learned and will continue to learn till I see you face to face. And from your Son I have received life abundant. May I daily spend time consuming your bread of life. May I often take part in the body and blood of your Son in remembrance of what has been done for me and why. May your Holy Spirit daily empower me and fill me with such love and devotion to follow after Jesus in doing your will.
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