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The Spiritual Feast
We are now in the midst of the
holiday season--a time for food! Great preparations are made for such
meals, and plenty of food is made ready to eat. Families gather around
tables and eat heartily.
Despite such great feasts and amounts of food eaten, we again
hunger. Thanksgiving lunch may be large, but one will need more food a
few hours later. The day after Thanksgiving comes, and food is necessary
yet again. No matter how much food is prepared, or how good it may
taste--we continually require more sustenance to survive. What if there
were a source of food and drink that forever satisfied your hunger? How
valuable would that be to you?
Long ago, a woman went about her daily business, getting her water
from the local well. While she was there, a man asked her for water;
when she hesitated, he offered her "living" water. She did not
understand; this man had no ability to get water from the well, let
alone some "living" water. He again offered her the water that would
lead her to never be thirsty again. She wanted this water so that she
would never need to draw water again.
As she would soon discover, this man was none other than Jesus of
Nazareth, and His offer
did not involve physical water (John 4:4-15). There is no source
of physical food or water that will truly satisfy; all such sustenance
will pass through and more will be required. To what, then, does Jesus
refer?
Jesus often makes such statements in John's gospel, establishing
that those who drink of the "living water" will have a well springing
within them to eternal life (John 4:14). He also urges people not
to labor for perishing food, but for the food He can provide to eternal
life (John 6:27). As it is written in John 6:35:
Jesus said unto them, "I
am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst."
Jesus refers to Himself not literally as food, but as the source of
blessing. The New Testament indicates that it is through Him that God
has now spoken (Hebrews 1:1), and it is through His blood that
all men can have the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28).
Salvation is prepared for those who believe upon Him and do His will
(1 Peter 1:3-9, 1 John 2:1-6). Eternal life is prepared for those
who follow Jesus!
Holiday meals will be eaten, and yet later there will be hunger.
Your soul may be temporarily satisfied by others, but only in Jesus
Christ will your soul be able to enjoy the spiritual feast that
eternally satisfies. Follow Him today!
----Ethan R. Longhenry
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