"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.'"

John 6:35 NIV

God's Word is alive!  It's amazing how we can read scripture and have a particular understanding of it, then after some time read it again and have a different understanding and awareness.  This happened to me while re-reading John 6:22-40 recently in a Bible study I lead and I thought to share what the Spirit of God revealed to me.

This group of scripture is subtitled, "Jesus is the True Bread from Heaven".  In these scriptures Jesus criticized some people who followed Him because they were only interested in the physical and temporal benefits He offered.  Because I'm a believer that the Bible is a mirror, (when read, your true self is reflected), I asked myself, Do I do that? Of course I do! I would be kidding myself to think I don't.  Being "religious" offers a way to feel better about oneself which is self-centered motivation.  A true believer follows Jesus simply because they believe He has the Truth and the key to life's ultimate purpose and meaning.  The people who witnessed Jesus turn 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish into enough food to feed thousands, went to Capernaum shortly after witnessing this miracle in search for Jesus and His disciples. After searching they found Him and ask, "Rabbi, when did you get here?".  Jesus answered the question in a way only He could....."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.  Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you."  What did Jesus mean by this?  He was saying that some people followed him because they were only interested in the physical and temporal benefits he offered and not the satisfying of their spiritual hunger. People eat bread, and meat, and potatoes, and fruit, and vegetables, and ice cream, and candy, (you can fill in the blank), to satisfy physical hunger and to sustain physical life.  We can satisfy spiritual hunger and sustain spiritual life only with the right relationship with Jesus Christ. Bread, and meat, potatoes, fruit, vegetables, ice cream candy, etc, etc, etc, must be eaten, but Jesus must be invited into our daily lives to satisfy our hungry souls. 

So how do we begin to build a right relationship with Jesus Christ?  Well, rather than tell you how, I can share how I built a right relationship with Jesus Christ.  It all started with believing He is whom God sent.  How did I do that?  I read the Book of John.  Pleasing God doesn't come from the work I do but rather from Whom I believe.  We all have plenty to do to serve Him, this is true, but the first step involves accepting that Jesus' claims are true.  Then, we can build our spiritual lives on this foundational affirmation.  Pray and declare to Jesus, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God", and embark on a life of belief that is satisfying to your Creator and incredibly fulfilling to you.  John 6:29 says - "Jesus answered 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent". A right relationship with Jesus is built on BELIEF.