March 10
Whoever comes to Me shall not
hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst (John 6:35 ESV).
“I am the bread of life”
(John 6:35). “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). “I am the good
shepherd” (John 10:14). “I am the true vine” (John 15:1). “I am the
resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Here is the great I AM saying what He
is. And then you notice how frequently He links with that a ‘shall’. The
‘shalls’ of the ‘I am's’ in John’s Gospel are tremendously impressive – not
always using the exact word, but in the context you will find the same
conclusion. But here are some of the ‘shalls’. “I am the bread of life... he
that eats this bread shall live for ever” (John 6:58). “I am the light of the
world; he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness” (John 8:12). The link
between what He is and ourselves is this, “he that believeth on Me.” What I AM
shall become true of him. “He that believeth on Me shall never die” (John
11:26), “...shall not hunger” (John 6:35), shall never wander like sheep
without a shepherd, he shall have a governing, controlling reality like a
shepherd in his life. “Shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life.” What I AM shall become true. “I am the resurrection, and the life; he
that believeth on Me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever lives and
believes on Me shall never die.” What I AM is made good when you believe.
Now it is not what we are. I
am dead; He is alive. I can never be other than dead, but He as the Life can
become Life in me in my death, if only I believe. I am hungry, spiritually
starved; He is Bread, and I need never hunger; although I shall always hunger
in myself, yet He will become the Bread to supply me. Think of it! I need never
hunger, I am down there in the country, isolated, getting no fellowship, no
food; I am away in some place where there is no spiritual bread, and He
says, “He that eats Me shall never hunger.” Is that dependent
upon where I am, what my situation and circumstances are as to available
spiritual meat? No, it is Himself, not a place; it is Himself, not
circumstances. But how can it be? – “He that believes.”
By T. Austin-Sparks from: Features Of
Zion - Chapter 4
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