Not Labor, But Receive

26Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." (John 6: 26-27)

Man is focused on working, working, working.

The problem is that man cannot work or earn what he needs.

Man is dead, and needs life. It is a great deal worse than "Man is bad, and needs to be better."

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2: 17)

Yet the Devil lied to Eve:

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:" (Genesis 3: 4)

Why would anyone listen to a serpent? Really? God's goodness far exceeded the fraudulent lies of the Enemy long before:

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:" (Genesis 2: 16)

So Adam and Eve died, and all mankind with him.

Bu the second Adam came, Jesus, and died for all our sins and granted us His life:

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2: 13)

The hardest lesson all of us have to learn, is to stop doing, and start receiving.

The law was designed precisely for us to stop:

"Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)" (Romans 2: 15)

and then

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Romans 3: 19)

and also

"Moreover the law entered (came in alongside), that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" (Romans 5: 20)

We are not called to work, for we are to repent from dead works (Hebrews 6: 1; 9: 14), but to believe and receive:

"28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 28-29)

and also

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

Today, let us stop laboring to be accepted by God and to serve Him, but believe on Him, receive from Him, that He may achieve through us.