Wellbeing: An Invitation to a Flourishing LifeSample

A Replenishing Relationship

Jesus described Himself as the bread of life. He provides the nourishment our souls need. He fills us in a way that nothing else can. He provides everything we need, but we don’t often feel that way. The problem is that this bread is not a one-off deal. Jesus says, “whoever comes to me will never go hungry”, He doesn’t mean we come to Him once, and that’s it. We can’t just come to Him; we must remain in Him.

Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus explains this in detail. When we remain in Him, we receive His love, and we receive His joy. On this basis, He commands us to love one another from the context of being filled with His love and joy. He doesn’t command us as servants but as friends. Have you ever met someone that you just clicked with? A person you gelled with in a way where you couldn’t stop spending time with each other and ended up doing all sorts of things together that you wouldn’t have done otherwise. That’s what it’s like to remain in Jesus.

Often we see God as an overbearing master or our personal servant who’s supposed to meet all our demands. We either get so concerned with trying to obey Him that we forget to spend time with Him, or we just list off our requests whenever we’re praying. Jesus doesn’t desire either of these attitudes. He wants our hearts. He wants us to be so captivated by Him, so filled with His love, that obedience is something we hardly need to think about.

This is what it means to never hunger or thirst. We are continually uniting ourselves to Jesus, who is continually filling us with love and joy.

Thought Point: Do you either turn God into an overbearing master or your personal servant? How would this change if you were genuinely remaining in His love?

Prayer Point: Spend time enjoying God’s presence. Ask Him for some fresh revelation of His love for you. Pour out your love and praise to Him.