The Results of Works-Based Righteousness

So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”— John 6:30-31

If you have been following me for the last few days, you have seen that the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 has exposed some things in those following Jesus. The crowd's initial response was to make him king. While this appears genuine, we discover it is not. Jesus slips away, and a day later, they find him next on the other side of the lake. When they do, there is this dialogue between Jesus and a few of them (not all). And it clarifies what this group is after. They don't really want Jesus. They merely want him to meet their demands. And now they have exposed themselves.

This right here is a symptomatic problem with any form of work-based righteousness. Work-based righteousness always demands another work. It demands a better work than the previous one, leading to entitlement. And the only thing that comes from entitlement is self-righteousness. That is why these people, or this group from the 5000, demand another work. The first work was not enough for them. And this happens because these people don't realize what is right within their reach. The gift is Jesus, not the works. He is standing right there. But they don't want Jesus. They want the works.

So here is your challenge today. Pray. But when you pray, don't ask for Jesus for a single thing. I bet you discover this is harder to do than you think. Because most of the time, we almost instinctively only ask him for things when we should spend far more time praising and thanking him for what he has already done.

ASK THIS: Can you pray without asking Jesus for anything?

DO THIS: Pray to him without asking for more.

PRAY THIS: God, thank you for everything.

PLAY THIS: This Is How I Thank The Lord.