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Last year, a man visited the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. He was searching for what everyone searches for when they go there – a diamond.
Not long after they arrived, he found something sitting on top of a plowed hill. Thinking it was a piece of glass, he put it in his pocket with other items he had found. He sifted through the dirt, pulling out little pebbles and this and that, but he went home discouraged because they didn’t find what they were looking for.
But the more he thought about that piece of glass, the more he wondered, “Could it be a diamond?”
He sent it off to be tested; sure enough, when the results returned, it was a diamond. A 4.87-carat diamond at that!
Sometimes, what you’re looking for is right in front of you; you just don’t see it.
Jesus had fed about 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread. It was an incredible miracle that every person walked away from there not only being fed but feeling full. Many of these people wanted more of what Jesus had, so they searched for Him and His miracles. They found Him on the other side of the sea and began questioning him.
John 6:26-36
“Jesus 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.
27 Labour 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.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.”
What were they really searching for?
They were looking for something that would fill them physically, but Jesus knew they would continue to hunger for more.
They said they wanted Jesus, but they kept asking for more bread. They didn’t recognize that what they were searching for was standing right in front of them.
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life”. But they didn’t believe.
Isn’t it amazing how simple God’s plan is, yet we try to make it so difficult, so convoluted?
When they asked Jesus what works they should do for God, what was Jesus’ answer?
“This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
Believe.
That’s it. There’s nothing else added to it. But just like us, these men couldn’t see it. They wanted the bread. They wanted the miracles and thought they must have to work for something like that.
But Jesus simply said to believe.
I’m guilty of busying myself with what I think will please the Lord. But our faithfulness in God is not measured by the amount of work we do. No matter how good it is. Jesus said – believe.
What are you searching for? Sometimes, what you’re really looking for is right in front of you; you just don’t see it.
To know Jesus doesn’t mean we have to have some deep theological thinking and a doctorate from a seminary. While those things are good, they aren’t what’s required to know Him. We don’t have to do so many good deeds, we don’t have to be dunked in the water, we don’t have to stand in line waiting for a blessing, and we don’t have to speak in some unknown language for the Spirit to descend.
Jesus simply said believe.
Take another look at scripture. See Jesus for who He truly is. And you might realize you’ve had a priceless jewel all along.
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