John 6:51-58 (NRSV)
Read John 6:51-58 on biblegateway.com
Verse 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." Verse 52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Verse 53So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Verse 54Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; Verse 55for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Verse 56Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Verse 57Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. Verse 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
Devotion
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”
There is so much this world claims will nurture and sustain us: wealth, technology, status, independence, and more. The competition for our attention and devotion is endless. It’s easy to be lured in by false promises of security. But, in the end, all of these false securities will only leave us tired and abandoned. With God’s help we can be encouraged to see through all this nonsense and take Jesus at his word: he is the living bread. He is the only true sustenance for this life and the next. He is the one in whom we must trust and turn to for strength. The journey of this life will offer many tempting distractions, but we must keep our eyes set on the One who is the living bread from heaven.
Prayer
Holy God, help us to keep focused on Jesus and not be carried away by the whims of the world. Amen.