Never Hungry

 

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry…”

—John 6:35

How soon after you eat do you begin to feel hungry? What’s that? In an hour or so? How about ten minutes? I’m told that the more often you have to go without food, the hungrier you become. Our bodies never get used to being hungry.

Years ago, I visited a Rescue Mission in a major U.S. city. I was there in order to help the organization with some issues relating to the development of a computerized database to better serve their clients. I’ve written elsewhere on this blog about the days when I provided consulting services in a particular, and now obsolete, database software called dBase II.

Over the serving line in the cafeteria that provided food three times a day for upwards of 250 people was a verse from John 6:35:

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

At first I thought it was a bit ironic to have such a verse in the cafeteria of a Rescue Mission. But, the more I thought about it, the more appropriate it seemed. In spite of all the problems the clients of this Rescue Mission may have had, the number one, most important need they had in their lives was to learn about the One who loves them with His everlasting and unfailing love. As the source of spiritual sustenance in their lives, Jesus would never leave them hungry or thirsty. He, and He alone, would always satisfy their spiritual hunger.

We often use this verse when we serve the first element in Holy Communion. We, the members of the Body of Christ, feast on the representation of the body of Christ. (Or, if your church believes in transubstantiation, the actual body of Christ.) But, in an even greater sense, Jesus feeds us every time we read the Bible and pray, every time we allow the Holy Spirit to guide the direction of our lives, and every time we gather with other believers for precious fellowship.

Jesus is, indeed, the “Bread that always satisfies.” And, as we begin another day, we can feast on Him. We can find our nourishment in Christ. We can more and more grow because of His sustaining grace.

So many people have a longing in their hearts. They may not have any idea what it is that they feel. But, that longing persists until the Holy Spirit opens their minds and hearts to the message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a teenager, I had the great privilege of attending several concerts by Thurlow Spurr and The Spurrlows. In fact, in the middle 1960s, I spent a very instructive weekend picking the brain of their chief sound engineer, David Steensland, during a Youth Weekend Retreat at Camp Findley, Findley Lake, NY. One of The Spurrlows signature songs, written by Thurlow Spurr, spoke directly to the longing that people have until they meet Jesus. I invite you to listen to this song.

 

 

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, December 1, 2016

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