Main Thought
Everyone depends on something. This is obvious in a physical sense. We all eat food and drink water, right? But we depend on things spiritually and emotionally too! We can depend on our possessions, on other people, or even on ourselves. The things we depend on might reveal what we’re desperate for. (For example, we can depend on our possessions as a means to find the approval we’re desperate for.) Unfortunately, our desperate searches can result in disappointment when we discover that the things we want are temporary. They’re fleeting and they fall apart.
But God wants to meet our greatest needs through the “Bread of Life,” Jesus Christ! Bread is a “staple food.” Different cultures have depended on it for thousands of years. It’s also a versatile food. It’s been used in and with more dishes than anyone can imagine. We can depend on Jesus just like a staple food. He’s also versatile enough to provide for any of our needs!
So how do we “eat” this Bread of Life? We need to participate actively. We sit down and engage Jesus through His Word and prayer, just like we sit down for a meal. We meditate and reflect on what He’s teaching us throughout the day. We take everything He reveals about Himself - His will, His Character, His power - and become like Him. “You are what you eat,” after all! As we deepen our dependence on God, we’ll discover that He doesn’t disappoint. Jesus is the Bread of Life, a staple food in our spiritual lives.
Main Passage
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
- John 6:48-51
67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
- John 6:66-69
Discussion Questions
Do you depend on anything to help you spiritually and emotionally, aside from God?
Why do you depend on that thing? Do you think it might reveal something that you’re desperate for?
How can you “eat the Bread of Life,” and deepen your dependence on God?