Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
Why do we follow Jesus? Is it because of what He can give us, or is it because of who He is? We can fall into the trap of thinking that as we follow Jesus more closely, all our troubles will fall away, or we will get the things we want like a (better) spouse, more compliant children, healing from sickness, or a (better) job. You fill in the blank of what you want… now ask yourself the question “if I don’t get this, do I still trust Jesus?” They wanted to follow Jesus because He had given them bread, maybe we follow Jesus because He’s already headed us once, perhaps He’s already helped us with our marriage… but what if this time is different?
Don’t work for the little things we desire… this life is short, invest in eternity. That doesn’t mean our desires here are (necessarily) wicked, that just means we put Jesus first. Believe in Him.
