Living in the Spirit
August 19, 2018
Scripture Reading: John 6:51-58
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.’
I have a pragmatic bent tending to think what I am doing right now is where my attention needs to be focused; eternity will take care of itself. The promise of being a good slave now so one will get a reward in heaven seems to justify oppression in the name of God. I am also not enamored with the various lists of behaviors faith groups use to define who is in and who is out regarding heaven. Funny those lists most often do not include Jesus’ judgment list of feeding the poor, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, restoring the prisoner, and welcoming the stranger. I fear I am a bit jaded regarding the subject of eternal life.
That said, I take great comfort in the prospects of spending eternity near to the heart of God. Perhaps that is because I gain great comfort seeking the heart of God here and now and have experienced God’s Shalom when I need it most.
There is a place of quiet rest,
near to the heart of God,
a place where sin cannot molest,
near to the heart of God.*
Prayer:
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
sent from the heart of God,
hold us, who wait before thee,
near to the heart of God* Amen.
*First verse of the Hymn Near to the Heart of God with the Prayer being the chorus of that same hymn by Cleland Boyd McAfee see at https://hymnary.org/text/there_is_a_place_of_quiet_rest