The bread of eternal life, the
core substance that we need to become what we aspire to become,
is in the person of Jesus Christ: His Atonement, His
suffering for sin, and the resultant capacity
to extend mercy. He can heal and forgive
and cleanse anything. I don't think everyone realizes
that when we do sin and we turn away from God,
it does something in us. And when we repent and turn to
Him, that effect in us is taken away. With His Atonement, we become
different people than we would be without it. And its power is infinite, truly
infinite, and can reach down and sanctify and
make holy to the uttermost any soul.
There's a purpose in life far
beyond living comfortably. The bread we receive is
to enable us to act and help and serve. Not only are we helping, but
we're being blessed and helped and changed. We're not transformed, as
you know, overnight. These things come in
process of time. Their changes are incremental,
and people don't see them until they look back--see where
they are, as opposed to where they were. Just as I learned not to expect
immediate deliverance from a problem, He's
also saying, "I'm patient with your progress. I'll just help you along day by
day." And all of that truly does add up to a dramatic change
and eternal difference.
When the Israelites finally
did cross the Jordan into their promised land, they were
expected by God to remember Him, to think of Him, to look to
Him, to have faith in Him. As we turn to Him each day and
remember Him each day, we come to know by experience that He's
real and that He does care about and love us and
is minister to us, just as He did the ancient Israelites,
because He is the bread of life.