I AM: The Bread of Life

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What’s your name?

It’s the standard introductory question. To know the name of someone is to know something essential about that person, the essence of who he or she is.

A long time ago there was a man named Moses. While he cared for his sheep one day, he was startled to see that a nearby bush was ablaze. He stepped closer to check it out and a voice boomed from within the bush itself. Not just any voice…a voice that called his name. How would you feel if a tree yelled, “Barbara”?

Moses bravely answered, “Here I am.”

The voice instructed him to keep his distance and remove his sandals, declaring he was on holy ground. Moses was really afraid now. He hid his face when the voice revealed, “I am the God of your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Moses had a question for this voice, this god. He’d never met him before so it seemed fair to ask, “What is your name? “

Kindly God introduced Himself as “Yahweh,” meaning I AM.

The God who spoke to Moses thousands of years ago is the same God making Himself known to you today. As we anticipate Easter Sunday, let’s look at some of the characteristics of I Am incarnate.

Twice Jesus told the crowds of people that He was the Bread of Life. First in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Again in John 6:51, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

What kind of nourishment does Jesus give to us as the Bread of Life? (Answer: Jesus satisfies our deep spiritual longings.) What does “shall not hunger” mean? (Answer: We were created to know God so the hunger of our souls is forever fed by Jesus, the Lamb of God.)

Does Jesus satisfy your longing to know God?

A visit to the temple early in the last week of Jesus’ life revealed to Him how far things had moved from God’s original purpose. There, in His father’s very house, were men focused on making a profit from all who came to worship. It would be similar to having to buy a ticket to get into your church every week. So Jesus drove out the money changers, cleansing and restoring order to God’s house (Mark 11:15-19).

Jesus was clear when He said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Notice, Jesus did not say that we can’t do more than one thing, but that we cannot serve more than one. The money-changers loved money more than God and that was the problem.

As a wife and mother, employee, friend, sister, daughter, and more, you are certainly busy with many responsibilities, but your devotion is to be reserved for just one—God alone.

Today, at the start of Easter week, is your focus shifting away from God? Think about what draws you away from Him most easily and encourage one another to love God every day more than anything else.

Ask God to help you love Him more. After all, God is love and our ability to love at all is a gift from Him, for He says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

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1 thought on “I AM: The Bread of Life”

  1. Without Jesus’ love for me, I would have no love! Thank you Lord!
    “Faith, Hope, Love but the greatest of these is love!!!

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