Day By Day

By Cal Cook

John 6:24-35 Jesus cuts right to the chase with these people, v 26 “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.” He say’s your missing the big picture, don’t worry about your bellies being full; seek greater things…eternal life. Isn’t that still the way it is with us today? We worry about all sorts of things, things that will be here today and gone tomorrow…yet eternity which has been set in our hearts escapes us. “Where are we going to eat?” has been the cry in our household lately. I really don’t know why but we’ve almost stopped eating at home…consequently I feel awful and look worse! My wife and I just started a 30 day challenge to see who can lose the most weight. I wonder what would happen if I ate manna in the morning and quail at night? I know there is a book out there called ‘The Maker’s Diet’ that is based on that idea…but I digress.

Jesus is pointing the crowd to the greater thing, yet they keep missing it. ‘Show us a sign’ didn’t He just show them a sign? Isn’t that why they followed Him across the lake? He healed all that came to Him, He fed a vast multitude with a boy’s lunch and they want more! When is enough, enough? When do we say, “Ok I’ve seen enough signs now I believe”? Jesus says, you come to me not because you understood the miraculous signs, but because I fed you…obviously they didn’t understand the signs because here they are asking for more signs! Is that why we come to Jesus because we want something? When I think of how I often pray it would seem that way. “Oh Lord give me this or give me that”…I’m not praying for material things, but I’m still always asking, give me, give me, give me! I throw in a thank you here and there…yet I’m sure the requests outnumber the thanks.

It’s interesting that Jesus when He teaches us to pray says “Give us this day our daily bread.” As if there is something special, something purposeful about asking for what we need for this day…not tomorrow and not the next…but this day. “And forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.” The daily need for sustenance, forgiveness and compassion…is that what our lives are supposed to be filled with?