I like routine . . . especially my morning routine. From the time I get up to the time I arrive at work, pretty much the same boxes are checked and the same motions are gone through. Over the past several weeks I’ve added a new piece to the routine . . . I take two pieces of toast with me in the car and eat them on the way to work. And it’s not your everyday sliced white bread . . . no, it’s a couple of freshly cut slabs from a good, solid multi-grain loaf . . . with just the right amount of fake butter on it and covered from edge to edge with some strawberry jam. I smile just anticipating it later this morning. It’s just the right amount of breakfast, crammed into the right part of the schedule, to get my day and my metabolism kicked off. Great bread . . . satisfying . . . part of my routine. But this morning I’m reminded of another bread . . . the bread of God . . . the bread of heaven itself . . . the bread of life . . .

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’ ” (John 6:32-35)

They had followed Jesus across the sea of Galilee to Capernaum. The day before they had been there when Jesus took a few fish and couple of loaves and fed more than 5,000. Just as Jesus had created “the good wine” at the wedding in Cana (John 2:10), I’m guessing that what they had eaten at that divinely enhanced fish fry not only was plentiful but it was delicious . . . so good they were determined to follow Jesus . . . even across a body of water . . . in order to see if He would serve up some more.

Jesus knew why they followed Him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). Oh, how driven man is by his belly . . . I can relate! I love my toast in the morning! But Jesus says, take that taste you anticipate . . . channel that hunger that you have . . . focus the thirst you experience . . . on “the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (6:27)

Enter the “true bread from heaven” . . . behold the bread of God come from heaven to give life . . . eat of the bread of life and never hunger or thirst . . . sit at the table of Jesus . . . take of His fare . . . partake of heaven itself . . . and know an abiding satisfaction that is literally out of this world.

Strictly speaking, the context in John 6 is salvation. The people were urged to take of the bread of heaven by faith. To believe in Jesus as the One sent by the Father is to eat the bread that gives everlasting life. To come to Him is to satisfy the spiritual hunger created within man for the God who formed him. To eat of that bread is to receive a promise . . . a promise of not being cast out (6:37) . . . of not being lost or left behind (6:39) . . . of being raised up to be with Jesus at the last day (6:40). Oh, thank God that, by His grace and through His Spirit, he opened my deaf ears and blind eyes to see and believe in heaven’s Holy Bread.

But the meal goes on! His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23) . . . He desires to come and dine with me on a continuing basis (Rev. 3:20) . . . there is new food to be eaten every day . . . through His word . . . through abiding communion with Him . . . through the inner renewal of the Spirit. The taste of heaven is available each morning and throughout the day, if I’ll just take some time and partake. Oh, that I would seek more the Bread of Heaven . . . that I would know continually its flavor on my tongue . . . its soul satisfying plenty within my inner man . . . its routine presence in my daily diet.

Jesus is true manna . . . praise God for the daily availability of heaven’s Bread . . . that by His grace it would be a continuing part of my daily routine.

Did I mention that I like routine?