Seeking Jesus for the wrong reasons - Greg Laurie - http://www.wnd.com/2015/03/seeking-jesus-for-the-wrong-reasons/
Pastor Greg Laurie warns Christians, 'God doesn't want to be your co-pilot'
Have you ever been tempted to cave in under the pressure of the crowd? If so, you may find yourself in a story found in John's gospel, Chapter 6.
When Jesus walked this earth, there were a lot of people who gathered around him and listened to what he had to say, but they weren't true believers. They were there more for the entertainment factor. They didn't really understand the full implication of what it meant to be a believer.
I can't help but think about our own culture in the United States. We have large percentages of Americans saying they are Christians. According to a 2012 Gallup poll, 77 percent of Americans identify with a Christian religion. But I have to wonder how many Americans really know what being a follower of Jesus is.
I find a direct parallel to what was happening more than 2,000 years ago. There was a huge crowd following Jesus, and we see some very challenging words that he presented to them to intentionally thin out the ranks.
After these people heard what Jesus really was asking of them, many turned away that day and left him en masse. But there also was a handful of true believers who did not desert him.
Jesus had performed his most popular miracle to date, the feeding of the 5,000. The people were gathered around him, listening, and he wanted to feed them. He went to one of his disciples and said, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (John 6:5 NIV).
It was suggested that they didn't have enough money in the treasury to cover the meals it would take to feed everyone. Then it was Andrew who said there was a little boy with five loaves and two fishes - but what are those among so many? But Jesus took the loaves and fishes, blessed them, and then multiplied them. All of the people not only were fed, but they were stuffed - sort of like how you feel on Thanksgiving Day.
This was one powerful miracle. The people probably were thinking, "Healing the sick is great. Raising the dead is fine. But when you start creating food, now we are talking!"
The people wanted to make Jesus their king right then and there, and they were prepared to do so by force. So Jesus got his disciples out of there as quickly as he could because he knew this could destroy them spiritually. And he left as well.
Meanwhile, the people woke up the next morning, and they were hungry. They were looking for Jesus, hoping for a repeat of the previous day's miracle. But he was nowhere to be found. They discovered that he had crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, so they went over to the other side and found him. They said, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" (verse 25, NIV).
They asked Jesus when he had come, and he told them why they had come: "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill" (verse 26, NIV). He was saying, "Let's cut to the chase. You are not here because you believe in me. You are here because your stomachs are growling, and you want breakfast. That is why you have come. Let's come right out and deal with that."
He used it as an opportunity to remind them what a person's priority should be in life. He said, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval" (verse 27 NIV).In other words, Jesus was saying, "I know that you're hungry, but I didn't do that miracle because I'm going to do it for you every day. Rather, I did that to demonstrate the power of God and to show you how much he loves you. There are more important things in life than food. There are more important things in life than clothing. There are more important things than where you live. I don't want you to make those things the top priority of your life."
In Matthew's gospel, Jesus said, "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25 NIV). Jesus wasn't saying, "Don't plan ahead for your needs." He was saying, "Don't worry about it." We are not to be obsessed with these things. We need to think about clothes. We need to think about food. We need to think about the future. These are not evil things. But don't make them all you live for.
Yet there are people who do. All they care about is what they are going to wear, what they are going to eat, what they are going to do, and what car they are going to drive. That is what life is all about for them. But one day they will leave this earth, and all that stuff will be left to someone else who didn't work for it. As I have often said, you have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul. If you make these things your sole purpose of life, it will be a wasted life.
Jesus was saying to these people, "I provided for you, but that is not what it is all about. I want to appeal to a deeper hunger inside of you. The hunger you have in your stomach is indicative of a deeper hunger in your soul. It is a hunger for meaning and purpose. It is a hunger for God himself. I will satisfy the deepest hunger."
But the people weren't getting it. They said, "What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat'" (verses 30-31 NIV).
What they basically were saying was, "You say you are the Son of God. Do a miracle. Hint: Make breakfast for us."
They were exposed to Jesus himself. He was the ultimate example without flaw. They saw the miracles. They heard his word with their own ears. Yet they did not believe. The problem was they wanted him to be their king on their own terms. They wanted a king who would feed them breakfast while they lounged around, a king who would heal them when they were sick, a king who would cater to their wants and whims, a king who would conform to their goals and plans.
There are a lot of people who feel that way toward God today. "I want Jesus in my life as my co-pilot," they say.
But that just doesn't work. God doesn't want to be your co-pilot; he doesn't even want you in the cockpit. God wants the controls. He wants to be your Lord and your God as well as your Savior and friend.
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