July 24

Spiritual Food

Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. — John 6:35 BSB

How is Christ like bread? We understand what bodily needs common bread satisfies, but what are the soul’s corresponding cravings? The most intense of the soul’s cravings is for forgiveness. All people sin, but sin satisfies no one, and the world has no power to bring peace to a troubled conscience. We cannot forgive ourselves, and no other person can truly forgive us. How does Christ satisfy this hunger? He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and because He bore our sins, He is able to forgive us. We remember how, during His time on earth, the guilty would fall at His feet, look up into His face, and hear the words that gave them peace.

Another craving is for holiness. The world has no way of restoring a human soul to moral beauty. People can restore paintings and rebuild buildings that have been damaged by fire, but no human hand can restore the glory of a ruined soul. Yet Christ satisfies this craving through the Holy Spirit, who enters the heart of every believer and rebuilds the holy beauty that sin has destroyed.

Another deep craving of the soul is for life—spiritual life here and eternal life beyond. The world has no bread to satisfy this hunger. The search for hope is one of the most tragic experiences in life. But those who receive Christ have eternal life. He has opened the way to the glory beyond. He said, "Whoever lives and believes in me will never die." He is the hope of glory for all who receive Him. A martyr once said as he was led to execution, "I have only two steps to get over before I reach my Father’s house—one, the steps up to the scaffold; the other, the ladder that leads down from heaven."