Jesus said I am the Bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger and he who believes in me will never thirst.”
John 6:35 NASB
As we move into the Christmas season, our focus can be shifted from the original intent of our celebration. We are tempted by much busyness, and the Christmas season offers many opportunities to increase it. Demands of others add to what we already demand of ourselves, creating the stress that makes the season not quite so enjoyable.
We have this scripture today reminding us that Jesus is the Bread of Life. As Christians, we celebrate Christmas with the understanding that the only things that give us the life we crave are found in Jesus. He alone satisfies. It’s not the stuff of this world that perishes with its use. While we love giving, because it is more blessed to give than to receive, and have been blessed to be a blessing, we want to make sure that what we are giving is with much faith, hope, and love to those we are connected to. We are always mindful that it is the eternal qualities that remain.
The promise, to never hunger, is to the one who first comes to Jesus. The promise to never thirst requires believing in Him and, by extension, His words. John 6:36 Jesus went on to say, “But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe me.” Isn’t that the condition that afflicts many? We see, we hear, but choose not to believe.
Belief is the condition in which one generally accepts something as true or real. Trust comes from experience, where we build confidence in the reliability, integrity, and ability of someone or something.
Believing and trusting can never develop in our lives without responding to the invitation “come”. Isaiah chapter 55 offered the same invitation: "Come." To the one who was hungry and thirsty, Isaiah said, Come and buy, yet without money. Meaning that coming still costs us something, just not money.
The invite is always there, and the choice remains: will I pay the price to attend?