SWB: Manna for the desert

Image from Spiegel Online International.

What is your manna?
Manna was the food that God provided the Israelites in their time of wandering in the wilderness. In this account in the gospel
of John, Jesus makes reference to this "manna" or bread that God provided for his people. Jesus draws the connection for his listeners of how God provided then and how God was going to provide for them in Christ himself. The hunger and thirst that Jesus was speaking of, were not simply the manifestation of physical hunger; but the deep spiritual need we all have for God.

Blasé Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher said,
"There is a God shaped vacuume in the heart of every man(person)which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the creator, made known through Jesus."

When I think of the things that I'm most grateful for in life, they most often are NOT in the material category. For instance, I may enjoy reading a good book, but the knowledge I obtain is dearer to me than the tangible item it came from. In their purist form, the things I'm most thankful for are not really things at all. I may treasure a song, a painting or a book; but what joy is in it if there is no one to share them with? Ultimately, the treasure I hold most dear are relationships with people!

How much more then, do I treasure the spiritual manna, which is Jesus the Christ? There are no words to express how thankful I am for that relationship. Without Christ, there would be no manna or treasure - only a hole that could never be filled, even if all the materials on Earth were placed there. There is a hunger that can only be sated by the manna that is Jesus the Christ, and that manna is the one we all can place our hope in.

Prayer:
Dear God,
Help us to truly understand how to live a life that is satisfied and nourished
by You. Thank you for providing not only for our physical needs, but those of
our spirit as well. Amen

Jesus the Bread of Life/ John 6:25-35

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,
not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate
the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils,
but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man
will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of
approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works
God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the
one he has sent.”

30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we
may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors
ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them
bread from heaven to eat.’[a]”

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who
has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who
gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God
is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

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.