John 6:26 Jesus answered, “You’ve come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs – and for free.

I love my kids and I do many things for my kids every day, but it is sweetness when they come to me not in want, but because they simply love me and want to share life with me. 

The majority of our actions in this world are for one main purpose, fulfilling human desire. Whether the actions be for ‘honorable’ causes or not is up for debate. No one is exempt from this and taking a good look at our true motivations behind our actions can be a very humbling experience. 

At the heart of the gospel, God with us revealed through Jesus, Jesus is proclaiming – “Look, I have the power to heal you! I have the power to feed you! I have the power to forgive you!… and I will do all of these things but there is so much more… something so much better than you can imagine. I promise you, a relationship with me is Life. You were created for this purpose! Forget about what is seen; focus on what truly matters.” 

I look around at our pettiness – adults and children –  meanwhile, God is offering us Life. An opportunity to detach from it all and simply be His. We don’t have to focus our lives on filling our bellies or any other part of our body – and we can let go of the petty because He’s not petty. We have been offered the ‘bread of life’… something so much more nourishing and satisfying.

“Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.”

To that they said, “Well, what do we do then to get in on God’s works?” 

Jesus said, “Throw your lot in with the One that God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in on God’s works.” 

They waffled: “Why don’t you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what’s going on? When we see what’s up, we’ll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 

Jesus responded, “The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world.” 

They jumped at that: “Master, give us this bread, now and forever!” 

Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.

John‬ ‭6:27-38‬ ‭MSG‬‬