A crowd came after Jesus across the sea to find Him. They weren’t looking for fellowship, wisdom or even His miracles. Jesus said they had come for one reason only… provision.
Having been the recipients of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, they wanted more and went to considerable effort to row and/or sail across the sea to get it. The instruction Jesus gave them applies to us today. He said, “Labor not for the food which perishes, but for that food which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for on Him has God the Father set His seal.”
They were game for that idea and wanted to find out how they could get provision without working hard for it. They said, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”
They knew how to grow and harvest wheat. They knew how to make flour and bake bread. What they didn’t know was how to do what Jesus did. They wanted to know what they had to do so they would be able to do what He did. This is what Jesus told them… “This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent.” Did you get that?
The one thing Jesus gave them to do was to believe on Him. The same is true today. But we would rather earn our way somehow by Bible reading, prayer, tithing, etc. Those are all good things, but there are no performance based metrics that Jesus is monitoring to see if He will release something you need.
Jesus has sat down at the right hand of the Father. He has done His work. He has conquered sickness and lack. There is no shortage of provision. Our work that He has given us is to believe Him, to take Him at His word. He said, all things are possible to Him that believes. I believe Him. Today, I will make that one simple thing, my work for the day… to believe Him. I will as the writer of Hebrews put it, labor to enter His rest. How about you?