As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven. John 6:57, 58.

Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ means to live by Jesus Christ. The Christian faith is life, the life of Christ in us.

In this age we are always in danger of substituting something else for this vital power from God, of living by other sources of power than God. It is possible to live on the husks of piety, to bustle in religion without any spirituality. We need that which will resist the superficial tendencies of this age. Living on God means we have a deep sense of dependence on Him, and no dependence on any other source. Why should we trust to the floating reed, when we can stand on an immovable Rock? We must learn to go daily and directly to God, to derive from Him the entire support of our spiritual life.

With many the love of things is in the driver's seat. We little realize what this does to us. We tend to love things and use people, to exploit people for our own advantage. Truly to live by someone is to love that person. We can depend on those who love us because love does not exploit. We can live by them because they are safe to trust.

So it is with Christ. How difficult it is to commit ourselves to others unless we are sure that they love us. For we have faults and wants. We want to be loved and accepted. But we feel that our faults and inadequacies can only merit disdain and rejection. But Christ is not like that. His love for us has nothing to do with what we deserve. He sees our imperfections and our immaturities, but there is no lessening of His love. He ought to reject us for our sins, but He doesn't. He ought to dislike us for our selfishness, but He doesn't.

What kind of faith will teach us to curse pride and sin? What kind of God will provide us the remedy for our lack of love, purity, and integrity? If we are humbled, it is by coming to know the righteous love of God. If we repent, it will be because we trust His goodness. If we face our true condition with hope, it will be because God's love never gives up on us.