When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
-John 6:25-27
Jesus pointed out to the crowd gathered that day that they had come to Him not because of the miracles they had seen, but because the Lord had provided them with some food. Jesus gently told them that they needed to do some laboring. Not just for physical meat, but for a kind of meat that endures unto everlasting life. They needed to seek first the Kingdom of God. Having done that they would be on their way to getting their lives in order. I have observed that people whose hearts are right with the Lord make better workers in their jobs, better spouses, better citizens, and better everything. They work harder and are more honest than if they had not the Lord in their lives. We labor, yes, but we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that when our spirits are filled with the Lord Jesus, then every aspect of our lives will be positively affected. That is ever the first order of business, isn’t it? By faith we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. From a personal standpoint I know that I am a better man for having placed my faith in the Lord Jesus. Without Him in my life I would run a terrible risk, and that is the risk of bitterness and self-centeredness.
Without the Lord Jesus in our lives the tendency is to become self-centered rather than Christ centered. Faith in the Lord Jesus takes that focus off of ourselves and places it upon Christ. He is there to lead and to guide and help us through the dark times, the storms, and the fires of life. And we all go through them. But with the Lord’s help comes victory.
