John 6:25-29

“25. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 26. Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

In previous verses, you will read the story of Jesus feeding thousands of people with five barley loaves and two small fish. After the great miracle, Jesus sends His disciples to the other side of the sea while He went to the mountain to pray. Through the night, the disciples encountered some rough waters, but Jesus calms their spirit as He walks to them at the third watch of the night. Arriving at land the next morning we pick up in verse 26 as the multitudes come looking for this miracle working Man.

Though it would always draw a great crowd, it wasn’t the miracles they were interested in the most. These particular individuals were interested in receiving more food. Notice again how Jesus responds in verse 27, ” Labour not for the meat which perisheth…” Many people began to look at Jesus with a mindset of what can you do for me or what can you give me. It’s important to realize that it’s never about what Jesus Christ can do for us, but what He has already done! His message was to get their focus off of the things that do not last.

There were many people in the New Testament that watched Jesus do many miracles. Sometimes they were even part of the miracle, but still walked away lost because they missed the message Jesus was trying to bring them to. “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29) This lost multitude wanted the meat that would perish, rather than Jesus Christ, the Everlasting Meat. “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.” (John 6:36)

In this particular context Jesus is dealing with the lost crowd, but how often is it we began to get caught up in the blessings God has given us then revert back to a lost nature. Every wild animal ever harvested is a gift from God, but what happens many times, is that we see so many blessings in our life we begin to look to God for what he will do for us next. It’s like you kill one deer, but then a week later you’re looking to God with an attitude of, “Are you going to bless me with another?” There are many hunts in the field that can be very spiritual, but don’t let your carnal way of thinking cause you to base your relationship off of whether or not God is going to give you something to your benefit. How about a bigger buck this year Lord? How about killing a few more deer for the freezer? How about a newer vehicle that I don’t really need? When God doesn’t answer your prayer the way you thought He should does this affect your closeness with Him? Do you stop spending time with Him?

The devil drives the believer to think that happiness only comes when God gives us the blessing. Do you realize that one day all these things will perish? So, what are you focused on today? Are you seeking for the meat that perisheth or are you seeking the Everlasting Meat (Jesus Christ)? Does your family know that you are more concerned about the souls of others than the material meat that you will never take with you? A testimony will go a long way when sharing the gospel with others! Life is not about you, it’s about the Everlasting Meat, Jesus Christ. I encourage you today to rest in what Jesus Christ has already done for you and then go share it with someone who needs to be saved!

Memory Verse

John 6:27

“Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”