Motives matter! It’s so easy to fall prey to seeking Jesus for what we can get from Him – our personal benefit, rather than Him personally. It happened that way when Jesus walked the earth… I read about it this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord”…
Jesus had just fed a multitude (5,000 men plus women and children) with five barley loaves and a two fish. Everyone had enjoyed a good meal. After feeding the multitude, the disciples gathered up much more than they had started with (twelve baskets of leftovers)! What a miracle! (Read about it in John 6:1-15)6
Free food! How good is that! This guy provides free food! He does miracles of provision! If He can do that – what else can he do for us? Think about it!
So they followed him across the sea of Galilee (from Tiberias) to Capernaum. The Bible says, “When then found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate you fill of the loaves! Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life!’” (From John 6:25-27)
Their motives for seeking Him – for following Him – were what Jesus could do for them, rather than seeking Him for who He was! They wanted more miracles of provision, rather than Himself! He told them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst!” … He told them, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven! If anyone eats of this bread, He will live forever! … Whoever feeds on Me, he also will live because of me… Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever!” (From John 6:35-59)
So as I read about this marvelous miracle of divine provision and the teaching of Jesus that followed it, I found myself asking… Am I seeking Jesus for what Jesus can do for me – His miraculous provision of my needs and desires – or am I following Him and seeking Him for Himself; who He is, “The bread of life?” Like I said – motives matter! I want my motives to be pure! If I do that, I think my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ will take care of the rest! And I believe I’ll never “hunger and thirst” again… at the very deepest level of my life!
Coffee With The Lord 