What does God want?

John 6:25-59

"Why are you looking for me?"

Yesterday Jesus had fed 5,000 families.  The next day, the crowd came looking for Him.   

"...Is it because you saw miraculous signs? The truth is, you are looking for Me because you ate the bread and were satisfied...."

I am no different.  I want help in my everyday life.  I want healing for my ill family members, good jobs for my daughters, protection for my husband, success for a friend's project.  I come to Jesus with my list. Oh, sure I thank Him, but again I thank Him for the tangible things He has given me: provision, protection, prosperity.

Here Jesus reminds us that He longs to give us much more than that.

"...But earthly food spoils and ruins. So don’t work to get that kind of food. But work to get the food that stays good and gives you eternal life. The Son of Man will give you that food. He is the only one qualified by God the Father to give it to you."

Jesus longs to give us eternal life.  Life forever where He rules and reigns.  Where life is what it is meant to be, not like this broken dying world.

Even still, people people want to know what they have to do...

The people asked Jesus, "What does God want us to do?"

Jesus answered, "The work God wants you to do is this: to believe in the one He sent."

Could it be that easy? Just believe?  Is that all?  Well, yes and no.  If we really believe, we act in a way that demonstrates our trust.  If we believe a chair will hold us, we will sit in it. If we believe an airplane can fly,we will board it. If we believe bread will nourish us, we eat it. Belief is more than mental assent. It is sitting in the chair, boarding the plane, eating the bread.  Otherwise, we do not believe, not really.  So Jesus continues:

"I am the bread that gives life. No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry. No one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty... Believe Me when I say that you must eat the body of the Son of Man, and you must drink His blood. If you don’t do this, you have no real life."

Belief is like that, it leans in.  It entrusts. It takes and eats.

It is easy to look for Jesus to help us in our everyday life and He has demonstrated that He wants to do that.  He did feed those 5,000 families not just to make a point -- that He is God -- but also because they were hungry and He loves them!  But Jesus wants so much more for us.  He wants to give us life eternal. He wants us to believe that too, and trust Him enough to allow Him to change our life.  

Believe in Jesus.  It always comes back to that.  

Beloved, so often I too am looking for something to do, the great work I can do for You.  But it is simple really: trust You. And as I trust You with my everyday life, and rest in Your care, You do something miraculous. You nourish me and change me from the inside out.    

"Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him has eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day. This is what my Father wants"