What Does God Want?

Scripture: John 6:22-29 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. 23 Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25 They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” 28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:22–29 NLT)

Jesus’ disciples had left in the boat the previous evening and he had stayed behind. Now the crowds were looking for him and they found him back home in Capernaum. I guess it must have been getting close to lunch time and they were anxious to see what was on today’s menu! Jesus saw through to their real motive and said, “You guys are just here for the free lunch, not for the Kingdom of God! Set your sights a little higher than “What’s for dinner?’”!

They asked, “What does God want from us?” For much of my life, I lived with a mindset that if I do what God wants from me, I’ll be blessed and if I don’t, things will not go well. In reality, there is a cause and effect correlation between doing good and being blessed. But if we get stuck in that way of thinking, it all becomes transactional where I put my coin in the slot and get my prize. That way of thinking leads to the attitude, “I’ll do right, not because it’s right, but because I’ll be blessed.”

Then Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One he has sent.”

Prayer:

Father, I believe in Jesus, the One you have sent! I’m learning to do your will in order to please you, and to help introduce the reality of your Kingdom to my world. My motives are still mixed, but by your Grace and Mercy, I’m making some progress here. Thank you for giving me purpose for living and hope for eternity. In Jesus’ Name!