“When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this “BREAD OF LIFE” teaching, He said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who DID NOT BELIEVE, and who would betray Him…From that time many of His disciples WENT BACK and WALKED WITH HIM NO MORE. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE…Also we have come to believe and know that You are THE CHRIST, THE SON of the living God.” (John 6:61-69)
To believe and know that Jesus is the Holy One of God means more than just AGREEING with the facts about Him. It means to TRUST HIM AND OBEY HIM AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR. It means to rely on His death and resurrection as the ONLY WAY to be forgiven of your sins and to have eternal life with God. It means to love Him and follow Him with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength…
“…when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees with His response, they met together to question Him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried TO TRAP JESUS with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL your HEART, ALL your SOUL, and ALL your MIND.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets ARE BASED ON these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40)
God’s greatest desire for any human being is that he or she LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS. Everything else we ever think about God, believe about God, say to God, or do for God, must be MOTIVATED BY this core impulse. Ultimately, all the rules and directives in the Law flow from the ideas of LOVING GOD AND LOVING OTHERS.
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham