SCRIPTURE: John 6:60-65 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” (John 6:63) If I say to you, ‘give flowers to your wife’, there are two sides to this. There is the actual physical, practical side: flowers, giving, wife. There is also the spiritual intent and meaning: love your wife, express that love! My point is…
I’m hungry for this!
SCRIPTURE: John 6:52-59 “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” (John 6:54) Admittedly, what Jesus says here is disturbing. Jesus is obviously speaking figuratively, with a deeper spiritual meaning. But even spiritually, these words are extreme: He alone is the source of God’s LIFE. When we accept Him, follow Him, devour His teaching,…
God seeking me
SCRIPTURE: John 6:41-51 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” (John 6:44) God is actively seeking everyone (Acts 17:26-27). We do not find God, God finds us; we do not discover life, we receive it. Religion is our attempt to find God; Jesus is God’s finding us. Every religion is a…
Eager to do what is good!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 112 “Good will come to those who are generous.” (Psalm 112:5) “The longings of the wicked will come to nothing.” (Psalm 112:10) We get what we look for: pursue good, and we will find it. Pursue bad, and we will find it. This song celebrates those who long for goodness, for everyone. They are generous, honest,…
David’s back
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 33-36 “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:23) Ezekiel laments the failure of Israel to live up to their calling. Wayward hearts, deaf ears, cruel leaders, wandering sheep… refusing to change. God uses the nations to discipline…
Taste and see!
SCRIPTURE: John 6:30-40 “For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33) God is eternal, undying, without beginning or end; creation is not. Everything in creation depends on God for it’s existence. If God were to let go, for a moment, everything would cease to…
Faith that works!
SCRIPTURE: John 6:25-29 “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:29) This sounds like easy enough work. Go to a class, learn everything you can about Jesus, and believe it. How hard is that? This is a wrong way to understand “believe in”. If someone says they can cure…
Step onto the unknown!
SCRIPTURE: John 6:16-24 “They saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; they were frightened.” (John 6:19) Imagine: as the disciples see Jesus walking on water, suddenly a submarine surfaces. Out pops the head of a captain, and he calls out, ‘Everything OK, need a hand?’ I’m thinking the disciples would be VERY frightened. This would…
The God that multiplies!
SCRIPTURE: John 6:1-15 “Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them…” (John 6:11) So many people, so many needs, so few resources. I can certainly relate to this. Our church finds itself with too few resources, facing too many needs. Yet we serve the One Who has come to deal with these concerns. We believe Jesus…
Challenge for this week!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 111 “Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” (Psalm 111:2) When is the last time you thought about God’s work in your life? If you were asked to share about God’s greatness, what would you say? At our church we ask people to verbalize their praise…