John 6:29 – Verse of the Day 6/12/13

 
This verse comes in the middle of Jesus’ “Bread of Life” discourse in John 6. John explicitly and implicitly ties Jesus’ ministry to the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt. After walking on water (parallel with Israel’s walking through the Red Sea), here Jesus ties his provision of bread in the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 to the provision of manna to the people of Israel in the desert. The consistent teaching at the heart of these connections relates to the idea that salvation comes not through human works but rather through faith in the gracious work of God.

We are consistently tempted to think that our own actions can bring us closer to God. If we sin less, and if we are more faithful, then we can climb the ladder up to God. Spend some time in prayer thanking God that our relationship with Him depends on His faithfulness and not our own. Ask Him for the faith to believe that Jesus really is the bread of life, the only source of both salvation and Christian growth.