One of my favorite pieces of literature tells a story of a quest. On this quest, the key characters are given an allotment of special bread to sustain them on their journey. It’s a long, hard road, and they have to carefully ration their bread so that it carries them through to the end. But there isn’t enough for the return journey. Some of the bread gets lost along the way, and there’s only enough to strengthen them for the final grueling climb up the mountain.
In the end, these two characters do make it back home again, but their bread isn’t what saves them. They are rescued through forces of good that are outside their control—what you might call “divine intervention.”
Just two chapters ago, we saw Jesus offer what only He could to the Samaritan woman: living water. He helped her understand His nature as the only One who is truly able to provide everything we need for life. Likewise, in John 6, Jesus expanded on this imagery by declaring that He also satisfies the hungry. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry,” said Jesus to the crowd at Capernaum, “and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again” (John 6:35).
What stands out to me in today’s passage is that the crowd already had a story that contextualizes what Jesus is saying. On one hand, the people are tracking. They’re familiar with the stories of their ancestors that tell of God’s provision in the wilderness. They knew their heritage and how God provided the Israelites with bread from heaven to sustain them on their journey (Exodus 16:4). But they were also confused. They were hung up on tangible signs and the kind of bread you can chew and tear apart in your hands.
With full bellies and curious hearts, they questioned Jesus in a verbal exchange that’s almost humorous. But Jesus was trying to refocus their vision on eternal things. Miraculous loaves and fish or heavenly bread in the wilderness were not just intended to fill their bellies. They were prophetic meals that pointed to something that would truly last forever.
I’m grateful for stories of great literature that remind us of God’s divine provision amid our limitations. Physical food and drink only take us so far. Jesus, the Bread of Life, never runs out (John 6:35), and He alone sustains us for the long and difficult journey ahead. He is the nourishment we feast on. There are no circumstances beyond His control. His grace and provision will see us through to the end.
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94 thoughts on "The Bread of Life"
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Amen
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God will see us though till the end! AMEN!
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Need to memorize: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.””
John 6:40 ESV
I never realized until now that
Living bread and water is only found in Jesus.
The Living Water, the Bread of Life → Jesus. “Water and Food at our disposal, yet sadly – there are so, so many “malnourished” Christians in our world today.
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“He alone sustains us for the long and difficult journey ahead. He is the nourishment we feast on.”
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Revive us again, Oh Lord we pray.
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We praise thee, O God,
For the Son of thy love,
For Jesus who died
And is now gone above.
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Refrain
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Hallelujah, Amen!
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Revive us again.
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We praise Thee, O God!
For Thy Spirit of light,
Who hath shown us our Saviour,
And scattered our night. [Refrain]
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All glory and praise
To the Lamb that was slain
Who hath borne all our sins
And hath cleansed every stain. [Refrain]
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All glory and praise
To the God of all grace,
Who has bought us; and sought us,
And guided our ways. [Refrain]
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Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above. [Refrain]
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May we all, daily remember to feast on His word and spend time in prayer, and may His grace sustain us.
Oh wow, I haven’t heard that song in decades! Thank you for sharing!
In jail today, we focused on Praise and Worship, and styles and postures! Next week I want to mix some hymns in there, this would be good!
Love that hymn.
One of my favorites of old! ❤
Hallelujah Amen!❤️
This is the song that has been on replay in my head since reading this morning: Honey in the Rock
There’s honey in the rock
Water in the stone
Manna on the ground
No matter where I go
I don’t need to worry
Now that I know
Everything I need You’ve got
There’s honey in the rock
Praying for a miracle
Thirsty for the Living Well
Only You can satisfy
Sweetness at the mercy seat
Now I’ve tasted it’s not hard to see
Only You can satisfy
Freedom where the Spirit is
Bounty in the wilderness
You will always satisfy
There’s honey in the rock
Purpose in Your plan
Power in the blood
Healing in Your hands
Started flowing when
You said it is done
Everything You did’s enough
I keep looking
I keep finding
You keep giving
Keep providing
I have all that I need
You are all that I need
I keep praying
You keep moving
I keep praising
You keep proving
I have all that I need
You are all that I need
I realized I didn’t know what “honey in the rock” was symbolic of so I looked it up. Wow! “Honey in the rock” means that God brings sweetness and blessing out of hard or barren places.
It comes from Psalm 81:16 and Deuteronomy 32:13, where God promises to satisfy His people with “honey from the rock.”
Spiritually, it symbolizes Christ as our source of joy and nourishment, showing that even in life’s hardest times, God can make something sweet and life-giving.
Amen and Amen! I need this honey:)
One of the songs I love. ❤️
Yep, love it!
We sing that song at church. Thanks for sharing! ❤
I am so glad to see this verse again in our reading, a few days ago the Lord impressed on me about this, warning and exposing the underlying motive of following Jesus, “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (John6:26). After Jesus fed the five thousand (plus families) with five loaves and two fish, the crowds followed Him. In plain language, they saw Jesus could produce several years’ worth of salary to feed in just one meal, just like that. Gold mine. This is the dangerous thing about human nature. There’s no limit with Jesus. They saw this with their own eyes. This brought to mind the case of Esau. Esau came home hungry after hunting, and traded away his birthright (double shares of firstborn) for a sloppy lentil stew. It is a flesh driven and impulsive decision, to satisfy a momentary craving. Hebrews 12:16 later condemns Esau as godless for this act (“See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son”). Let’s talk about the god of the bellies. The crowd was faced with a challenge. A free lunch and the true God are standing side by side. The god of their bellies are calling now. They saw the miracle and they want more. Now let’s talk about fleshly appetites. 1 John 2:16: “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world”. These are dangerous territories. Lust of the Flesh, sensual or physical cravings, these include gluttony (overindulgence), sexual immorality, laziness (comfort seeking), substance abuse, and any forms of cravings that master over our will (like addictions to pleasure, entertainment, ungodly content consumption, etc). Lust of the eyes: this is the root of covetousness, “I want that” when seeing others have things, flaming up materialism, envy, comparison, leading to the bottomless pit of wanting more, obsession with appearance and luxury. The pride of life: this is the root sin and the embodiment of satan (his fantasy “I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High”), pride and more pride, self glory, reputation, desire to be admired, image building, no more kingdom building. So who is ruling us? God or our appetites? Who was ruling the crowd when they followed Jesus? Philippians 3:18–19 “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things”. Discern our motives. Humans are not different back then or now. May we never worship whatever satisfies us. May we never let our cravings dictate our choices. May comfort, pleasure, self interest never be our underlying motivation for following Jesus. Don’t sell your birthright (as a child of God) for a quick lunch. Man shall not live by food alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Seek first, always and foremost, the One True God, the self-giving God, holy, merciful, forgiving, who satisfies the soul rather than the flesh. This True God demands our full surrender. He is a jealous God. He will lead us with truth, mercies, and also correction and discipline. Come to Him and commit to Him, abide in Him, ask Him to transform us, transform our fleshly desires to godly ones, He promises this “…and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). What a wonderful God we serve. Be blessed dear sisters.
You never cease to amaze me Mercy! Thank you for all of this!
Amen! Yes, agree! So much wisdom dear friend!
“May we never worship whatever satisfies us. May we never let our cravings dictate our choices. May comfort, pleasure, self interest never be our underlying motivation for following Jesus.”
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Ditto Tami and Rhonda! ❤
So good, Mercy. So many of these I could put a check mark ✔️ by, yep I’m guilty of this. God is faithful and will continue the good work in me as I abide in Him. Indeed, what a wonderful God we serve!
Let us remember what Kimberly said…
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Am I following Jesus for the bread or because HE is the bread?
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TINA… I looked up cottage vs. shepherd pie and saw the beef/ lamb difference. I’ve made a sherpherds pie recipe with lentils! (I guess it really woulda been a “cottage pie”. Huh?)
Or as the HRT devotional put it this morning: ” The Son of Man still stands before us, pointing to all the things we love, not to diminish those good gifts in any way but to point to the better gift—Himself—and say, “All those things will leave you still hungry, still restless, still aching. But take Me, and you will live forever and never hunger or thirst again. I am the Bread of Life.” ”
Father, help us remember You alone have what will satisfy our souls! Amen.
I was reminded of Isaiah 55:2 as I was going through the reading today. “Why do you spend silver on what is not good, and your wages on what does not satisfy?” Sure the foods/water we eat/drink will sustain us for a short time, they cannot provide the eternal sustainment.
There is so much “junk food” out there. This is not real food. It tastes good and appears to be food and can give us the illusion of being full and satisfied but it is so temporary.
Job 23:12, ” I have not failed the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”
” We want Jesus to help us more than we want Jesus to have us. Jesus is not a solution to all our problems. Jesus is God’s gift of himself to us.” JD Walt
That is good, the quote by JD Walt.
Ahh this hit differently to really understand the bread is the spirit and blood is life
The people in the Bible were so…. Human. Human nature is always full of questions, skepticism , challenging.
Only Jesus will satisfy the hunger in our souls and the thirst is our spirit!
This truth has been coming up more and CB more in my devotions! Seeing it in the need in our world and on social media! What are we looking for but something to make us feel better or satisfy a need in our soul for more of God not stuff!
Loved all your comments!
Continuing prayers for list loved ones, Rhonda’s back, Victor, Maria’s family and all the rest!
Oh THANK YOU dear Cheryl! It has been really hurting bad the last two days.
He is all and everything we need. Why do I so easily forget that? These words from the devotional sum myn thoughts up so well: “Jesus, the Bread of Life, never runs out (John 6:35), and He alone sustains us for the long and difficult journey ahead. He is the nourishment we feast on. There are no circumstances beyond His control. His grace and provision will see us through to the end.”
Thank you Lord, for your abundant provision, grace and being my all in all. The source of fulfillment for my every need. Amen❤️
In this reading, we see the first “I AM” statement!
48 I am the bread of life.
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Bread of Life 1877/1913- Mary Lathbury, William Sherman, Alexander Groves
Break Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
As Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea;
Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord;
My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word!
Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me,
As Thou didst bless the bread by Galilee;
Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall;
And I shall find my peace, my all in all.
Thou art the bread of life, O Lord, to me,
Thy holy Word the truth that saveth me;
Give me to eat and live with Thee above;
Teach me to love Thy truth, for Thou art love.
Oh, send Thy Spirit, Lord, now unto me,
That He may touch my eyes, and make me see:
Show me the truth concealed within Thy Word,
And in Thy Book revealed I see the Lord.
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May we SEE Him and fully KNOW Him!
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Love, hugs, and prayers! ❤
What precious hymn and powerful lyrics. Thank you for finding this. “Show me the truth concealed within Thy Word”- amen.❤️❤️❤️
❤ We used to sing it in church back when hymns were the standard. I always loved this one.
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Thank you Father for your provision and grace. Amen.
Jesus the bread of life never runs out (John 6:35). Jesus will sustain us through whatever comes our way. Lean into Him. I find when my focus is on Jesus, the problems of this world diminish. We are living in a time of so many unbelievers. People living in a way of what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong. I find peace in focusing on God not the world. Jesus is the bread of life.
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Jesus is the bread of life. Our daily bread for our daily needs. We see the big picture here, that we need Him for our eternal life, and also for our daily subsistence. I pray that often in the morning…Lord, give me my daily bread for today. I don’t worry about tomorrow just yet, for today is enough. And we need our Jesus every day. In the normal, nothing happening day, or whether we have something pressing.
He is our contentment. He is our peace. “For I will never leave you, or forsake you.” The Lord is my shepherd, my helper. My daily nutrients. He is enough. But I must have belief! Trust. And faith.
I have to know, that I know, that I know. How can we have that much faith? It tells us many of “his disciples” turned away! And many turn away today. It is too much. It is the hard way. It is much easier to go to the bar when the world gets heavy. When trials come. To seek elsewhere. But that is not good for us. It gives us nothing. It is like a diet of junk food and empty calories. Not only does it not provide nutrients, it is harmful to our bodies and health. But when we choose to put Jesus first in our lives we are different. We are fed daily. We are strong and healthy. We have built a foundation by being in the word daily (being with Jesus daily), in prayer and meditation, and time with him. Then we will be fed.
They wanted real food, what they could get from Jesus. That too is true today of many Christians. Many will only turn to Jesus when they need something. Then put Jesus to the back of the shelf until the next need arises. But to be a Christ-follower, we follow Him for more than our needs, we follow because He is who He is. The very Son and Savior God sent for us. Because He went for the cross for us. That alone is enough.
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“Give us this day our daily bread”
Hey sisters, I am coming to you with a special prayer request— it has been 1 yrs and 1 week after the fire and it seems that we are only about a month away from finally moving back into our rebuilt home. It’s been a year when God has provided in every front. We are fortunate that my mother-in-law had the space that we were able to stay in. And even though we are paying her rent, I am still appreciative of her opening her home to us. However, this cohabitation has been challenging at times, because there were some issues that my husband and his mom had, that I was not aware of, that surfaced while here. But also this past month and especially this past week, has been VERY challenging for me with her. And so, my prayer is 1) that the builders continue to make progress so we can move into our home and 2) that God gives us patience and understanding in our hearts so this does not damage our relationship with her. Also, thank you so much because in this earthly realm, you all have been such a great support to me with your prayers and well wishes I could never thank you enough.
Praying Maria B
Praying ❤️
Of course I will be praying Maria. Family relationships are so hard especially when you’re living in such close quarters and on a hard time. I’m praying you get to move into your Home fast and relationships are healed.
Praying over your requests!
Praying for this situation, Maria! ❤
Praying ❤️
Praying Maria. Hugs and love.
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Praying Maria!
How exciting your house is almost finished!…Has it really been a year already – wow! …continued prayers as you work through the challenges of living under someone else’s roof.
Yes, praying for you too, and your new home to be done!
Thank you, father for always providing— physically, emotionally and mentally. You are the source of eternal life. I’m so grateful for the word and this ministry that brings us together every morning, to discuss and understand your message to us.
Amazing history with Lev. Thank you for sharing that.
Jesus is Life ❤️
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Amen
Thankful that we have access to the full Word of God & beautiful commentary each day to help us understand better! Whether it brings new perspective to those of us who have read passages several times or new knowledge, God is moving!!
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Lord Jesus,
You are the Bread of Life.
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I confess that I often seek You for what You can give me, but today I want to follow You for who You are.
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Even when Your words are hard to understand,
even when following You feels costly,
help me to trust that You alone have the words of eternal life.
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Give me a heart that stays—
not because I understand everything,
but because I believe in You.
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Keep me close to You,
and feed me with the life only You can give.
Beautifully said.
Lord Jesus,
You are the Bread of Life.
I confess that I often seek You for what You can give me,
but today I want to follow You for who You are.
Even when Your words are hard to understand,
even when following You feels costly,
help me to trust that You alone have the words of eternal life.
Give me a heart that stays—
not because I understand everything,
but because I believe in You.
Keep me close to You,
and feed me with the life only You can give.
I am praying this beautiful prayer as well. Help me have a heart that stays and does not have to have all the answers.
Beautiful. Amen❤️
True disciples follow Jesus not for what He gives, but for who He is—even when His words are hard to understand or accept.
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Will we follow Jesus only when it makes sense & feels good? Or will we stay when it’s costly, confusing or uncomfortable- because we’ve come to believe He alone is life?
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Gut check…..
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Am I following Jesus for the bread? Or because HE is the bread of life?
Great way to put it! “Am I following Jesus for the bread? Or because He is the bread…”
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Love this ❤️
The people had a lot of questions for Jesus, focusing on what they could see and on the history they knew – the bread they ate, His earthly parents, looking for a physical task to complete. As Jesus gave spiritual explanations to their questions, they continued looking for physical answers. They didn’t get it, and so many today don’t get it either. Minds are already made up and determined that nothing will change them. Lord, praying You will draw these minds to seek Your light and not the darkness of the evil one, whose goal is their destruction rather than eternal life with You.
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Coming to mind – Tremble, by Mosaic MSC, written by Andres Figueroa, Hank Bentley, Mariah Mcmanus, Mia Fieldes
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CRISSY HUNTER -❤️ “I do bring with my requests a sense of doubt.” This rings familiar. Praying my doubt would be only whether my ask is His best for me, and not a reflection of whether I think He is able – He for sure is able.
CEE GEE ❤️ agreeing with MERCY on you finding gem songs ❤️ and yes, diligently searching our heart’s focus to keep it on Jesus
KIMBERLY DE LOS SANTOS Welcome! ❤️
MERCY ❤️ God the great provider, thank you. And what a green thumb!
SHARON JERSEY GIRL ❤️ praise the Lord for the good results!
MICHELLE P ❤️❤️ God’s math!
CINDY JORDAN ❤️
LORI LACKEY ❤️ praying for met needs.
TRACI GENDRON ❤️ your testimony is so powerful, thank you, sister.
RHONDA J ❤️ joining you in prayer for Crystal’s healing, and the Lord’s comfort through the treatments
KELLYD – His will, not mine ❤️
LINDA – praying for your daughter and husband
I want to say thank you for always posting prayer requests. It is so appreciated.
Praying over the requests
“Lord, praying You will draw these minds to seek Your light and not the darkness of the evil one, whose goal is their destruction rather than eternal life with You.” Amen! ❤❤❤
It’s by God’s grace sister. I am no green thumb lol. I do pray over my plants and the harvest. He provided warm weather long enough, with the rain which is a miracle for my zone 3. Agreeing with TRACI and praising God for KELLY’s and your faithfulness pioneering prayers.
Thank you for the prayers and always posting all of them!
Amen❤️
Jesus’ comments about eating His flesh and blood bring two things to mind.
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First the communion elements.
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Second the Peace offering (Lev. 7:11-21). This offering involved the blood of the sacrifice and loaves of bread. The priest received a portion, but the rest was eaten by the worshippers symbolic of eating a meal with God.
Jesus is the bread of life and He is our peace.
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RHONDA J – continued prayers for Crystal. May she draw close to Jesus during her cancer battle.
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THERESE – praying Joanne is gaining more feeling in her arms and legs every day.
Thank you for the Peace offering connection. ❤️
Thanks for the connection to Leviticus, Kelly!
Kelly, thank you (and all else praying). I got an update yesterday. She has no feeling from under her breasts down or in her hands. That’s all we know. She lives on the lake (two story) with multiple stairs to get there. It’s just starting to sink in with her husband and the life changes. She was shaking out a rug, at night, and flipped over the deck or stairs (no one really knows yet) and landed on her face. She heard the crack and so she laid there till her husband found her shortly after.
Praying for a miracle for Joanne and Crystal!
Something similar happened to a friend of ours. Praying! ❤
Thanks for the OT reminder! ❤
Amen. Communion elements (not cannibalism)
Continued prayers for both Crystal and JoAnn.
Ty for those words. I ask the same for my family
Interesting that He was talking about the bread of life,and that in the end many disciples left,and there were only 12 left. At the last supper it would come down to 11,because judas would leave to betray Him.
All mighty God, I ask that you grant my family favor. Draw them to you! Amen
Amen and amen. ❤️
Amen!
Amen!