Consume Me

Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me — not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.” — John 6:43-51

Given the last few days of devotionals on predestination and free will, eternal security, and the metonym about bread, the rest of this section should be easy to understand.

But still, a lot of people get hung up in this section on how salvation works. The one word that presents this problem is Jesus's use of the word "draw" (John 6:44). Some people interpret this to mean that only God draws specific people to salvation (predestination). But on the other side of the debate (free will), others emphasize verse 45 (John 6:45) in that "everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me." And if we focus on only these words in the text, we are thrust right back into this debate.

But this text has a caveat that sheds some light on this subject matter. It's the subjects to whom Jesus is speaking. He is talking to more than just a general audience in this text (even though others are listening). He is speaking to Jews (John 6:41). And he uses their Scriptures (John 6:45). Jesus is their Messiah. He has come to lead them like Moses into salvation. This section directly addresses Jews about salvation that has come to them. And God has been trying to draw them for a very long, long, long time. This is the oldest story ever told. It's the story of God drawing mankind to him since the dawn of time. So from this, we can deduce single line of text is not the only instance that God draws. This is a long history of God drawing and teaching in hopes that people will hear and believe.

But this debate is not the primary issue in this text.

The primary issue is my belief. Do I believe in Jesus? That's the issue at hand. God has set the table. The salvation meal is presented. The bread is warm and ready. But will I consume the life-giving bread into my soul and allow his life to consume me?

ASK THIS: Are you holding back?

DO THIS: Don't hold back. Believe.

PRAY THIS: God, I have been holding back my belief. But today is the end of that. I believe. You are my only desire.

PLAY THIS: Consume Us.