Jul 22
31
Come and eat!
(Horatius Bonar, “The Bread of Immortality”)
“I am the bread of life.” John 6:48
“I am the living bread.” John 6:51
All food is for the sustaining of life.
Jesus announces Himself as the bread which will sustain
the life of the soul. Not merely some doctrine–but Himself.
He is the bread; not merely bread–but thebread–the one
true bread; without whom the soul cannot grow, nor its life
be sustained. For only by this life-sustaining bread, can
such sickly souls be nourished. As such, Jesus is necessary
to the soul as its food–its bread.
Outside of Him, there is no nourishment, no sustenance.
He feeds–He alone. He feeds us on Himself! All else is
husks, or mere air and vapour. Jesus, in His glorious person,
is our food–the true bread and sustenance of the soul;
the hidden manna.
Jesus applies various names to it:
“bread from heaven”
“true bread”
“the bread of God”
“bread of life”
“living bread.”
All these are names indicative of its excellence, its power,
its suitableness. It is the very bread we need; no other
would do. Jesus is the soul’s eternal food. This
storehouse is inexhaustible–and ever accessible!
Come as you are, poor prodigal, starving on husks–come
and eat! Eat, O friends!Eat, and live! Eat, and be strong!
Eat, and be in soul health!
“To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna.” –Revelation 2:17
J.C.Philpot
How often God’s word is to you a sealed book; how often you hear from the pulpit the most encouraging preaching, yet get no encouragement from it; how often you hear Christ held forth in his Person, blood and righteousness, and go away as you came, without any sensible relief. What is the reason? Because you are overcome. Unbelief, bondage, darkness of mind, insensibility rest upon your spirit, and all these keep you from feeding upon the manna.
But sometimes a gracious word comes over all these hills and mountains of unbelief, bondage, doubt and fear, and as this word drops into your heart, you begin to shout victory over all your foes and fears. Then the word of God begins to open itself up in its sweetness and blessedness. The Lord of the house brings out the hidden manna, and the word of God is made sweet and precious to the soul.
Sometimes you read the word of God as a dry and barren task to satisfy conscience. When is that? When you are shut up in unbelief and bondage. But at other times the word of God is read with pleasure, and it is to you the joy and rejoicing of your heart. This is when you can believe it; and thus faith turns the word of God into manna. But if you are barren, then the word of God is barren; if dead, the word is dead; if cold and lifeless, the word is so too. But when the scene changes, when the clouds are dispersed, then you see light in God’s light. Then it is a blessed Bible, a precious book, full of sweet promises and encouraging invitations. It is in this way the manna is given to the overcomer.
What an angel’s tongue never can unfold!
(from Winslow’s, “The Glory of Christ in Heaven”)
It is splendid when we are led by the Eternal Spirit
into a heartfelt acquaintance with the riches and
fullness of the gospel. There is no spiritual need
of the soul which the provisions of the gospel of
Jesus do not meet….
for our wounds it is a balm;
for our fears it is a cordial;
for our battles it is an armour;
for our soul’s hunger and thirst it is manna
from heaven and water from the Rock.
“O Lord, we bless You for the gospel! It is a
feast of fat things, a mine of inexhaustible
wealth, a spring of all consolation, a good
and pleasant land, bathed in the sunshine
and laden with the fruit of eternal summer.”
O beloved, into what a rich, spiritual condition
Jesus brings us when He brings us into experimental
acquaintance with Himself! Oh, to know Jesus;
to have the least degree of a spiritual, a heartfelt
acquaintance with Christ; a full Christ, a present
Christ, a compassionate Christ, a powerful Christ;
is what an angel’s tongue never can unfold!
But, beloved, we would have you know into what
spiritual wealth, bounty, and peace you are brought
when in the least degree you are enabled to realise
what Christ is to you.
Do you, amid life’s trials and earth’s cares,
consider the possessions you have in Jesus?
What a Saviour!
What a Redeemer!
What a Brother!
What a Friend!
What an Advocate!
What a Counsellor!
What a loving heart loves you!
What a sleepless eye watches over you!
What a full hand supplies you!
What a present help in every time of need!
Untiring Delight
Who ever called the ‘sea’ monotonous? Even to the mariner,
traveling over it as he does, sometimes by the year together,
there is always a freshness in the undulation of the waves,
the whiteness of the foam of the breaker, the curl of the
crested billow, and the frolicsome pursuit of every wave by
its long train of brothers.
Which of us has ever complained that the ‘sun’ gave us but little
variety? What though at morn he yoke the same steeds and flash
from his car the same golden glory, climb with dull uniformity the
summit of the skies, then drive his chariot downward and bid his
flaming coursers steep their burning fetlocks in the western deep?
Or who among us would complain loathingly of the ‘bread’ which
we eat, that it palls upon the sense of taste? We eat it today,
tomorrow, the next day; we have eaten it for years which are
passed; still the one unvarying food is served upon the table,
and bread remains the staff of life.
Translate these earthly experiences into heavenly mysteries–
If Christ is your food and your spiritual bread; if Christ is the
sun, your heavenly light; if Christ is the sea of love in which
your passions swim and all your joys are found, it is not possible
that you as Christian men should complain of monotony in Him.
He is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever”;
and yet He has the “dew of His youth.”
He is like the manna in the golden pot which was always the
same; but He is also like the manna which came down from
heaven every morning new.
He is as the rod of Moses, which was dry and changed not its
shape; but He is also to us as the rod of Aaron, which buds,
and blossoms, and brings forth almonds.
Surely God is good to Israel—to those who are pure in heart!
(“Every Day!” Author unknown, 1872)
“Happy art thou, O Israel! Who is like unto thee, O people saved by the
LORD!” Deuteronomy 33:29
Were God’s ancient people distinguished among all nations for their privileges
and blessings? Then much more happy are God’s spiritual Israel.
They are redeemed from a viler slavery than that of Egypt, and with a more
glorious manifestation of power and grace.
Believers now have not the tabernacle in the wilderness, nor
the temple at Jerusalem—but they have all the precious realities typified
by them. They are not mere outer-court worshipers, but have access to the Holy
of holies through the blood of the Lamb.
They are not fed with the manna of the desert, but with “the True Bread of
Heaven.”
They do not drink of the waters of the rock of Horeb, but of the river of life
flowing from the Rock, Christ Jesus.
They do not have in prospect an earthly Canaan, but a heavenly city, whose
builder and Maker is God.
They do not have a temporal inheritance—but an incorruptible, undefiled and
unfading inheritance!
Israel of old had the shadows, Christians now have the substance.
“Surely God is good to Israel—to those who are pure in heart!”
Psalm 73:1
“The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth!”
John 1:14
(Charles Spurgeon)
Believer, you can bear your testimony that Christ is the only
begotten of the Father.
You can say, “He is truly divine. He has done that for me, which none but
a God could do!
He has . . .
subdued my stubborn will,
melted a heart of adamant,
opened gates of brass,
and snapped bars of iron!
He has turned my mourning into laughter, and my desolation into joy!
He has made my heart rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory!
Let others think as they will of Him—to me He must be the only
begotten of the Father!
And He is full of grace. Ah! had He not been, then I would never
have been saved! He drew me when I struggled to escape from His grace; and when
at last I came all trembling like a condemned culprit to His mercy-seat He
said, “Your sins which are many, are all forgiven!”
And He is full of truth. True have His promises been, not one has
failed.
I bear witness that . . .
never any servant had such a master as I have;
never any brother had such a kinsman as He has been to
me;
never any spouse had such a husband as Christ has been
to my soul;
never any sinner had a better Saviour;
never any mourner had a better comforter than Christ
has been to my heart.
I desire none beside Him!
In life, He is my true life.
In death, He shall be the death of death.
In poverty, Christ is my true riches.
In darkness, He is my sun.
He is my manna in this poor wilderness world.
He shall be heavenly manna when I come to the heavenly Canaan.
Jesus is to me . . .
all grace,and no wrath;
all truth, and no falsehood.
And of grace and truth He is full, infinitely
full!
The joys of that eternal banqueting house!
John MacDuff
“He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was
love!” Song of Solomon 2:4
“HE brought me!” All of grace! He justifies! He
glorifies! The banqueting house is entered with shoutings, saying, “Grace,
grace unto it!”
Believer, contemplate the journey ended, the course finished,
the victory won. Seated at the marriage feast of the Lamb in
glory, guest talking to guest with bounding hearts—recounting their Lord’s
dealings on earth—the watchword circulating from tongue to tongue, “He
has done all things well!”
Angels and archangels, too, will be participants in that banquet of glory; and
bright seraphs, who never knew what it was to have a heart of sin or to shed a
tear of sorrow. But, for this reason, there will be one element of joy peculiar
to the Redeemed, into which the other unfallen guests cannot enter—the
“joy of contrast.” How will this present world’s “great
tribulation” augment the bliss of a world at once sinless and sorrowless!
How will earth’s woe-worn cheek, and sin-stricken spirit, and
tear-dimmed eye—enhance the glories of that perfect state, where there is not
that symbol of sadness, nor the solitary trace of one lingering tear-drop!
My soul, seek often to ponder, in the midst of your days of sadness, the
joys of that eternal banqueting house! “He will wipe every tear
from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or
pain!”
One moment at that banquet table,
one crumb of the heavenly manna,
one draught from the river of life,
and all the bitter experiences of the valley of tears will be
obliterated and forgotten!
Look upwards even now, and behold your dear Lord preparing for you this
glorious “feast of fat things!” “Do not be troubled. There are
many rooms in My Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a
place for you. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you
will always be with Me—where I am!”
We should be content with His daily allowance!
2Kings 25:29 And changed his (Jehoiachin) prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.
2Kings 25:30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
Jehoiachin was not sent away from the king’s palace with a ‘supply’ to last him for months, but his provision was given to him as a daily pension.
Herein he well pictures the happy position of all the Lord’s people. A daily portion is all that a man really needs. We do not need tomorrow’s supplies; for that day has not yet dawned, and its needs are as yet unborn. The thirst which we may suffer in the month of June—does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet. If we have enough for each day as the days arrive—we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day—is all that we can enjoy.
We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day’s supply of food and clothing; a surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief. “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?‘ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them!” Matthew 6:31-32
One staff aids a traveler—but a bundle of staffs is a heavy burden.
Enoughis not only as good as a feast—but is all that the greatest glutton can truly enjoy.
Enough is all that we should expect—a craving for more than this is ungrateful.
When our Father does not give us more—we should be content with His daily allowance.
Jehoiachin’s case is ours—we have . . .
a sure portion;
a portion given to us by the King;
a gracious portion;
and a perpetual portion.
Surely here is ground for thankfulness.
Beloved Christian reader, in matters of grace you need a daily supply. You have no store of grace. Day by day you must seek help from above. It is a very sweet assurance—that a daily portion is provided for you. In the Word, through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God—you shall receive renewed strength. In Jesus, all needful things are laid up for you. Then enjoy your continual allowance!
Never go hungry—while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy!
“Give us each day, our daily bread.” Luke 11:3
“As your days—so shall your strength be.” Deuteronomy 33:25