John 6: 30 - 71 - Peace, joy and rest beyond words...

We finish John Chapter 6 with verses 28 through 71. I watch people and I see a recurring pattern. I see more and more people seeking fulfillment in the things of the world. They are trying to fill a spiritual void through their five senses. This is not possible so it leads to emptiness in the soul, disappointment, frustration, anger, depression and anxiety. They then take it out on others.

They misunderstand one thing. We are all a soul that lives in a body. This body allows us to interact with the world through the five senses. Through these sense, there can be pleasure and pain. We can get pleasure through taste, such as good food. We can get pleasure through touch, such as a massage, sex, etc... We can get pleasure through sight, a beautiful landscape or painting. We can get pleasure through sound, a beautiful song or birds chirping. We can get pleasure through smell, such as good food or a pleasant perfume. All of these can bring pleasure but they cannot fill the deepest longing and emptiness in our souls.

Jesus said deep inside their is a void, an empty place in our souls that He called a well. It causes us to live with a clear sense that something is missing, empty or lacking in our lives. This gnaws on our souls. We have a need to satisfy this empty place. This can cause us to mistreat and hurt other people. This place was made for God.

In this chapter, Jesus gives the clearest and best picture of how He alone fills this emptiness. He said that He was the bread of life. That is, we come to Him and we will never hunger or thirst. This is a spiritual void that needs to be filled with the Spirit. When it is filled, we live NOT with an emptiness but instead a deep satisfaction, a peace, a joy and a rest in our souls. It frees us from all this frustration.

You can keep trying and searching for things to fill the emptiness but it will only get worse, a greater void, greater emptiness. It is so sad to watch people doing this when all they need is right there - if they would just turn to Him. I wish I could communicate how wonderful it is to have Jesus fill your heart. The peace, joy and rest are beyond words. This chapter shows how.

If you're ever in the Cleveland, Ohio area, please stop by Calvary Chapel Cleveland and say hello!