I

can remember the best meal I ever ate. My wife and I went out for a

nice dinner to a fine restaurant with close friends. My steak melted

like butter in my mouth. We laughed and talked about life and

ministry and whatever else came to mind. We enjoyed everything about

that evening so much—the food, the company, the setting, the

emotions.

I

remember leaving that meal totally satisfied—not just because I had

enjoyed an incredible steak but also because every­thing about

that night was amazing. I was full; I had amazing companions; I knew

I was in the right place in my life; I felt blessed by God.

Jesus

looked out over the crowd he had been teaching all day and knew that

they were hungry. They were hungry for physical food, but I think

they were even more hungry for purpose and meaning. So Jesus fed

them—completely. He stretched a few loaves and fish far enough to

feed a massive crowd. But even more, he satisfied their need for the

sustaining bread of life that comes only through him.

The

only food that sustains our faith forever is the food that Jesus

gives: the fullness of life that comes through his presence and

mission and Word in our life. If we try to fill up on anything else,

we will be hungry again. But if we fill ourselves with the bread that

comes from God, we will be satisfied.