We're in the Gospel of John this morning again, continuing on the story, chapter 6.
Just a reminder of what we've been through these past couple weeks.
We've looked at some of the pretty spectacular things that Jesus has been doing.
First, he fed a crowd of over 5,000 people out in the middle of nowhere with just a boy's lunch.
Then last Sunday we saw how he walked at least several miles across the Sea of Galilee
and then jumped into a boat with his disciples in the middle of a storm.
Amazing.
We talked last Sunday about how some of the crowd from the 5,000 that Jesus fed,
they couldn't find him the next day on that eastern side of the lake,
so they hitched a ride with some of the boats that had come over from Tiberias
back to the western side of the lake where they found Jesus.
And we ended last Sunday with their question,
Rabbi, when did you get here?
So we're going to continue the story this morning in John, chapter 6, verse 25.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him,
Rabbi, when did you get here?
Jesus answered,
Very truly, I tell you,
you were looking for me not because you saw the signs I performed,
but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
So it all starts with the question of the people,
the people who had been there at the feeding of the 5,000.
And they came back across the lake,
they found Jesus,
they're puzzled about how Jesus got here,
and they ask him,
Teacher, when did you get here?
And what does Jesus say in response?
Let's just hit the pause button for a moment here.
What's the true answer to this question?
Jesus could have looked them in the eye and said,
I actually got here in the early hours of the morning
after a leisurely stroll out on the lake.
Even as the crowd asks this question,
you can imagine the disciples thinking to themselves,
like, oh boy,
like, how is Jesus going to respond to this?
They would never believe what happened last night out on the lake,
even if all of us told them that this is what happened.
Well, Jesus decides to simply not answer the question.
And instead,
he makes a statement that shifts the focus of this conversation
onto the people themselves.
In verse 26,
he says,
What is Jesus saying to them?
Well, let's first notice the kind of statement that this is.
Jesus is telling them why they have been looking for him.
He's saying,
You've been seeking me.
You've been searching for me.
Not for this reason,
but for this reason.
Have you ever had somebody tell you
why you are doing something?
Most of us probably have,
and usually we don't appreciate it
when someone tells us why we did something.
I'm sure many of us have had that happen in a conversation
where someone's telling us why we did something,
or we almost would take it as an accusation.
And perhaps they even assumed wrongly about us.
And you're thinking or you're saying,
That wasn't my motivation.
That wasn't my reason.
Who are you to tell me why I did that?
Are you judging me?
Are you claiming to know my inner thoughts and motivations?
Most of the time,
it's best not to assume that you know
exactly why someone is doing something.
There could be reasons you simply do not know.
There could be reasons buried in that person's heart,
or rooted in that person's past experiences.
As Paul said to the Corinthians in his letter,
1 Corinthians 2 verse 11,
For who knows a person's thoughts
except their own spirit within them?
And this is kind of a side point here,
but wouldn't it be wonderful if all of us just refused
to assume that we know why other people do the things they do?
And I'm talking to myself here as well.
Think of how much less misunderstanding and conflict there would be
if we just simply chose not to assume anything about other people's motives.
Instead, maybe just ask the question.
Ask them why they're doing what they're doing.
The truth is,
we really don't know other people's motivations,
and we can guess at them,
we can speculate,
but at the end of the day,
only they know
why they are doing what they are doing.
And this is pretty relevant today.
I mean, here's one example.
Many people assume that people are wearing masks
because they're afraid of getting COVID.
And yet some of those people
would say to you that they are wearing them
not because they're afraid of getting COVID,
but because they care about you.
They want to minimize the chance
that they would spread it to you
if they happen to have it.
For that person, it's not fear.
It's in fact kindness and love
that motivates them to wear their mask.
On the other side of the coin,
some people might assume
that if you're not wearing a mask,
it's because you're angry at the government
or because you don't care about the weak
and the vulnerable in our community.
And yet for some who aren't wearing masks,
that's simply not true.
Some people are just simply not wearing them
because they genuinely don't believe
that the masks help
in preventing the spread of COVID.
Now, I'm not here to try and settle the debate this morning
on whether they work or not work or whatever.
I just say this to illustrate
how often we assume that we know exactly
why people are doing what they're doing,
and yet how easy it is for us to be wrong.
And we do this all the time.
We speculate on people's motives and thoughts,
like why they're changing jobs,
why they had a conflict with so-and-so,
why they believe this or that,
why they haven't been coming to church,
why they just bought a new vehicle,
why my kids are acting the way they are.
Wouldn't it just be wonderful
if we all just embraced this simple truth
that Paul reminds us of?
Who knows a person's thoughts
except their own spirit within them?
Back to Jesus.
Jesus is saying the kind of thing here
that ordinarily we shouldn't say to one another.
And notice how he says it.
He doesn't say, you know what,
I think that the reason you're looking for me
is not this, but this.
No, he states it very matter-of-factly.
He says, truly, truly, I say to you,
the reason you're looking for me
is not this, but this.
He's claiming to know the truth
of what's going on in their inner thoughts
and motivations.
Coming from anyone else,
this would probably be an immediate turn-off,
and maybe some people were turned off
when they heard Jesus say something like this.
But with Jesus, it's different.
He's already demonstrated repeatedly
that he knows things about people
that no ordinary person could know.
We saw it with Nathaniel.
We saw it with the Samaritan woman at the well.
The disciples witnessed this kind of thing
repeatedly at the first Passover festival
that they went to with him.
Remember back in John chapter 2,
where John said this,
Jesus would not entrust himself to the crowd
that saw his signs,
for he knew all people.
He did not need any testimony about men,
mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
Amazingly, in all these instances,
the disciples have seen that Jesus has been correct
about people,
about their inner motivations
and thoughts and reasons.
He's not just guessing or speculating.
He's not assuming things
that he doesn't know to be true.
Somehow he has divine knowledge.
And he actually knows the things
that God alone knows about people.
This is the kind of thing that's going on here.
Again, in the passage we're looking at this morning,
Jesus is telling these people
that he knows what's really going on
inside their hearts.
He knows why they're really going to all this trouble
to come all the way back across the lake
and hunt him down and follow him around.
So now let's look at the reasons Jesus gives.
Verse 26.
Jesus answered,
You are looking for me
not because you saw the signs I performed,
but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
Do not work for food that spoils,
but for food that endures to eternal life.
So according to Jesus,
why are they following him?
What's the real reason?
And what's the problem with their motivation?
You're looking for me
because you ate the loaves and had your fill
and not because you saw the signs.
Do not work for food that spoils,
but work for food that endures to eternal life.
Now at first glance,
and this is kind of what I was thinking at first,
we might think that these people care more about getting more free food
than they do about the miracle that Jesus did.
It kind of sounds that way a little bit.
You guys came all the way across the lake
because you got a free meal.
Don't wear yourself out for food that spoils.
But the more I reflected on this and thought about that,
it just didn't make sense.
Like how could people really be more excited
about getting some free food
than about the fact that Jesus whipped this meal
for 5,000 people out of almost seemingly nowhere?
And we heard two weeks ago
that at least some of them started to think
that he was the prophet or the Messiah
and they wanted to make him king.
So did they care more about getting more free food
than the miracle?
Were they just a bunch of lazy freeloaders and moochers?
I don't think so.
I think we get a clue about this
from what Jesus tells them to do.
He says,
Do not work for food that spoils,
but for food that endures to eternal life.
A more literal translation of that
would be something like this.
Work not for food of the perishing sort,
but for food of the lasting unto eternal life sort.
As we reflect on these words,
we begin to see that Jesus is giving them
a larger principle of life.
And he's using food as kind of the metaphor.
I mean, what kind of food endures to eternal life?
This is not ordinary food.
This is a metaphor.
And do not work for food that spoils.
They're meant to apply this more generally,
more broadly to their whole outlook.
In other words,
I don't think Jesus is saying,
The reason that you're following me around
is just to get more free food.
Stop putting in all this effort
to get more free food that doesn't last.
I think Jesus is saying more than that.
And I think the key,
if I'm reading this right,
is in,
we see it a little bit in verse 26.
You are looking for me,
not because you saw the signs.
The signs.
Jesus refers to the things that he has been doing.
Things like the feeding of the 5,000
and healing people as signs.
And a sign by definition
is something that points to something.
So what's the problem with their motivation?
If I'm hearing Jesus right,
it's that they're more excited
about the miracle itself
than they are about what it points to.
They're thinking,
and we can guess here,
we don't know for sure,
but maybe something like,
here's a guy who can multiply bread
and they're not going to do it.
Come on, everybody.
Look at this.
What's he going to do next?
Isn't this awesome?
They're all excited about the miracle
and they probably should be,
but the main point,
it seems,
is not the miracle itself,
but what the miracle points to.
It's a sign.
It seems that these particular people
are going to such lengths
to follow Jesus
because they want to be,
we might say,
sensationalized.
They want to see more of the same.
They want to be wowed
by things like this,
this meal that they had.
And so it seems that
Jesus is saying
that the feeding of the 5,000
was not something that he did
just to fill the stomachs of people.
God the Father
had given him that work,
that miracle to do
as a sign.
And signs are meant
to tell us something.
They're meant to point to something.
And it was a spectacular sign.
It was something
impressive.
Give a bit of an example here.
I mean, imagine you're,
happened to be in Madrid,
Spain.
You're driving around
and you see this
on the side of a building.
That's a pretty big sign.
They actually broke
the Guinness Book of World Records
for the largest billboard
back in 2018.
The thing is,
the size of 20 tennis courts.
It covers most of this huge building.
And I don't know,
I kind of like it.
Even how the tree branches
kind of go in between the windows.
I mean, imagine how much time
it took just to put that up
and to take it down,
all the scaffolding.
It's impressive.
So impressive,
you might even take
a slight detour
on your way home
just to show your kids.
Now imagine that
the next day
after you see this billboard,
you're at work
and it comes up
in conversation
and you're talking
to someone about it
and someone at some point
just says,
so?
Are you going to buy one?
And you're kind of like,
what are you talking about?
Buy one what?
Well, a Ford EcoSport.
Oh, well,
I wasn't even really
thinking about that.
I was just thinking about
how awesome that sign is.
Like, it's huge
and it's so well done.
I think that's a bit
of an example,
an illustration
of what's happening here
with the crowd
and Jesus.
They see the signs
that he's doing
and how spectacular they are,
but they're more caught up
in the excitement
of the sign
than what it points to.
Like,
hey everyone,
here's a guy
who can make food appear
out of thin air.
We saw it.
We ate it
as much as we wanted.
Come on,
let's go see
what he'll do next.
Maybe next time
he'll make something
even more awesome
than that.
Who knows?
Maybe if we stick
with him long enough,
it'll be like
that Oprah episode
where every guest
received a brand new car
worth 30,000 bucks
for free.
We don't know exactly
what they're thinking,
but it seems
that this is kind of
along the lines
of what they're thinking.
They're missing the point.
The key contrast,
I think,
comes in what Jesus says
in verse 27.
Do not work
for food that spoils,
but for food
that endures
to eternal life.
Again,
the more literal,
work not for food
of the perishing sort,
but for food
of the lasting
unto eternal life sort.
They're more excited
about the bread
than the reality
that the bread points to.
I think Jesus
is saying something
to the effect of
the physical bread
that I made
is not the point.
Don't put in all this effort
to follow me around
just to see more things
like that.
Where's the bread
that you ate now?
It's gone.
It doesn't last.
It's a perishable thing.
It's either consumed
or it spoils.
No,
the point of the miracle
is that you would look for
and seek after
the food
that doesn't perish.
The special provision
of God
that lasts,
that never goes bad,
that there's always
more of,
the special food
or provision of God
that when you eat
of it,
it gives you
not just life
for another few days,
but life
for endless days.
And it might be here
that we're starting
to remember back
to what Jesus said
to the woman
at the well
where he again
used a familiar thing
like water,
food,
water,
to describe
a much greater thing.
He said to her,
whoever drinks
the water I give them
will never thirst.
Indeed,
the water I give them
will become
in them
a spring of water
welling up
to eternal life.
It's as though
Jesus is saying,
I'm here to offer you
more
than just
a spectacular show,
more than just
some material blessings,
more than just
some things
that will eventually
be consumed
or spent
or wear out
or lost
when you die.
I'm here to offer you
the food and water,
the most essential
needs
of your soul,
a special provision
of God
so that you might
truly live
forever.
This is the reality
that the sign
of the feeding
of the 5,000
points to.
If you're going
to put in the effort
like you've been
putting in
to follow me around,
do it for this reason.
Do it to get
this food
that lasts
into life eternal.
So you can imagine
at this point
that Jesus has
their attention,
that there's no
shortage of questions
rising up
in their minds
like,
well,
what kind of food
are you talking
about, Jesus?
What sort of food
lasts into
eternal life?
we've never
heard of that
before.
What are you
saying?
Are you talking
about a food
that we eat
and then we
live forever?
Is it a food
that,
like,
what are you
talking about?
Is it literal
food?
Kind of like
the fruit
of the tree
of life?
Or are you
just speaking
metaphorically?
What is this
food and where
do we get it?
Where does it
come from?
Jesus answers
one of these
questions immediately,
even before they
ask,
where does this
lasting food
come from?
He says,
do not work
for food
that spoils,
but for food
that endures
to eternal life,
which the
Son of Man
will give you.
Which the
Son of Man
will give you.
So where does
it come from?
It comes from
the Son of Man.
And we won't
look at all the
passages today,
but there's
many places
where it's
just obvious
that when
Jesus says
the Son of Man,
he's referring
to himself.
In other words,
you get this
food that
endures to
life eternal
from me.
I will give it
to you.
It's quite the
claim.
It's quite an
offer.
And then
Jesus throws in
this little
statement at
the end of
verse 27,
which the
Son of Man
will give you,
for on him
God has
placed his
seal of
approval.
Literally,
for God the
Father has
sealed this
one,
referring to the
Son of Man.
What does that
mean?
There's a couple
different ways that
the word sealed
can be used,
but the way that
makes the most
sense here is
like the seal,
like a wax seal.
Back in the day,
it was common for
them to use seals.
They had a stamp
or sometimes even
a ring that they
would, it had a
detailed pattern on
it.
It was unique to
the family that
had it or the
town that used it,
and they would
press it into
hot wax or
clay to
authenticate
whatever the
seal was on,
to show that
this is the
real deal.
This letter
really came from
me.
This license is
authentic.
It has been
issued by the
town officials.
You may still
see a seal of
sorts today if
you look back on
your high school
diploma.
Gold sticker
kind of thing
with detail and
kind of impressions
in it.
It's there at
least historically
to prove that
your diploma
paper is
authentic.
So what is
Jesus saying
when he says
for God the
Father has
sealed the
Son of Man?
He's saying
that God the
Father has
placed his
seal, his
mark of
authenticity
upon the
Son of Man.
Literally for
Jesus, upon
me.
So that we
would know
that he is
not just a
Son of Man
but the
Son of Man.
The one who
really can
give this
food which
lasts unto
eternal life.
God hasn't
just left us
to guess or
to speculate.
He's made it
clear.
He's put his
own unique
seal, mark,
or sign
upon him.
And what
is the
clear sign
or mark
or seal?
Well, Jesus
has already
mentioned the
signs he
has been
doing in
this conversation.
So I would
suggest that the
seal or mark
of authenticity
is the signs
which the
Father has
given Jesus
to do.
Things which
are impossible
for any
ordinary
Son of Man
to do.
God has
set apart
the Son of Man,
the one that
was promised,
the glorious
one by giving
him special
works or
signs to do.
This is
similar to
what Jesus
said to the
religious leaders
back in
Jerusalem.
John 5,
36,
for the works
that the
Father has
given me to
finish,
the very
works that
I am doing
testify that
the Father
has sent
me.
And so I
think they
are the
seal,
they are the
distinguishing
mark upon
Jesus that
helps us
to identify
him as
the Son
of Man
and give
us confidence
that yes,
he really
can give us
this food
which lasts
to eternal
life.
At this
point in the
conversation,
the crowd
asks a
question.
Verse 28,
then they
asked him,
what must
we do
to do
the works
God requires?
Jesus answered,
the work
of God
is this,
to believe
in the
one he
has sent.
Now there's
some translation
issues here.
Literally,
it's what
must we do
to work
the works
of God?
And Jesus'
answer is
literally,
the work
of God
is this,
that you
believe in
the one
he has
sent.
Now I
don't want
to get
into the
whole
Calvinism
and Arminianism
debate here.
Some people
point to this
passage to
make the
point that
even our
believing is
a work of
God.
It's something
that he
does in
us.
If that's
what Jesus
means,
then he's
not really
answering the
question of
the people
the way
that they
asked it.
And sometimes
Jesus does
that.
Sometimes he
doesn't answer
the question
the way that
it was
asked.
But the
overall flow
in the sense
of this
question and
this answer,
at least to
me, I
think Jesus
is saying
the work
of God
or the
work God
requires,
the work
he wants
you to
do is
that you
believe in
the one
he has
sent.
Seems to
be the
logical flow
of the
passage here.
Jesus has
told them,
don't work
for this,
work for
this.
What do
we need
to do to
work the
works that
God requires?
requires,
this is
the work
that God
requires.
What is
it?
What is
the thing
that God
wants us
to do,
that God
wants you
to do?
Very
simply,
believe in
the one
he sent,
is what
Jesus says.
It's kind
of a strange
answer.
You can
kind of
imagine that
there might
be some
thinking like,
that's it?
Like,
isn't there
more?
I mean,
when it
comes to
food,
putting perishable
food on the
table,
like,
we go to
work,
and we're
going to
get this
lasting food
that never
spoils
just by
believing?
think?
I think
Jesus wants
to,
you know,
make it
clear that
there is
no earning
this food.
You don't
go to
work to
put this
food on
the table.
He said
already,
I will
give it
to you,
which the
Son of
Man will
give you.
I don't
know what
some of
them were
expecting,
maybe a
checklist,
maybe a
list of
commands,
maybe a
new contract
position in
Jesus'
crusade.
food,
I don't
know,
but Jesus
doesn't give
them any
hint that
this food,
this lasting
food can be
bought or
earned.
It's not
something that
he is selling,
it's not
something that
he's offering
in exchange
for a
life of
good works.
He says,
which the
Son of
Man will
give to
you.
What do
we do to
get it?
Believe
the one
he has
sent.
So simple.
And yet
even that
statement
right there
is so
pregnant.
Jesus again
is holding
up the
mirror to
them.
He's
saying it,
I think
it's implied,
because they
don't believe
him.
I'm calling
you again,
I'm inviting
you again,
believe in
me,
believe that
I am the
one that
God has
sent.
Why is he
saying it?
Because they
don't believe,
many of
them.
And we'll
continue the
conversation
next Sunday.
But what is
God saying
to us here
this morning
in all this?
There's so many
places that this
could hit home
for us today.
the first
thing that we
saw was how
Jesus challenged
their very
motives for
following him
that day.
You guys came
all the way
across the
lake for
the wrong
reason.
You were
more excited
about the
signs themselves
than the
reality that
they point
to.
There's a
question in
there.
What are
your motives
for following
Jesus?
Do you
know that
Jesus knows
the real
reasons?
Do you
know that
he knows
what's going
on in
your thoughts,
in your
heart?
Do you
know that
he sees
through the
face that
we so
often put
on for
other people
that he
sees the
real you?
If he
were standing
up at the
front today
instead of
me,
do you
think he
would challenge
or correct
our motives
for following
him?
I think
he would.
And not
because he
wants to
stir up a
good fight,
but because
he loves
us.
He cares
about us.
He wants
us to
follow him
for the
right reasons,
to come to
church on
Sunday for
the right
reasons,
to serve
in the
church and
in our
community for
the right
reasons,
to give
generously to
people in
need for
the right
reasons.
He's not
just looking
for a crowd
to cheer him
on or a
group of
fans to
enjoy the
show of
his miracles
and hoot
and holler
whenever he
sticks it to
the Pharisees.
Speaking of
motivations,
how about all
this COVID
stuff?
Do you
think Jesus
would have
some things
to say to
us about
our attitudes
and motives,
even our
behaviors when
it comes to
COVID?
I think so.
I felt
convicted about
it anyway.
the second
thing we
saw was
the misplaced
focus of
the crowd.
There's a
question there
too.
Are we
more excited
about the
signs that
Jesus did
than with
the greater
realities that
they point
to?
Are we
more enamored
with the
miracles
themselves
than with
the man
who did
them?
Now,
I know
most of us
here are
not into
sensationalism.
we're not
really that
kind of
group that
are chasing
after miracles,
but increasingly
in our
culture,
we are being
taught that
we need to
invest deeply
in the
things that
entertain us
most.
We're being
told that we
are consumers
and we need
to weigh
carefully what
we buy into
because it's
all about what
we can get
out of it.
And this
attitude creeps
into the
church as
well.
For a long
time, this
hour of
church on
Sunday morning
has been
called a
worship service.
A service.
The idea is
that you
come here
to serve,
to serve up
worship to
God.
I'll be
honest,
sometimes when
I'm writing
that weekly
email, I
feel a little
tempted to
just take
that word
service out
out.
Because I
know that
many in
their hearts
don't want
to come to
church to
give a
service to
God.
They want
to come to
church to
get something
from Him,
an experience,
a blessing.
And we see
this often in
the reasons why
people leave
a church or
shop around
for another
church.
The church
didn't have
this or
that or
the music
wasn't to
my liking
or the
pastor's
preaching was
biblical,
yeah, but
it wasn't
really to
my tastes.
Are we
looking to
be entertained
on Sunday?
Are we
into church
only if it
caters to
our preferences
and tastes?
Only if it
sounds and
feels the
way we
like?
Following
Jesus and
being the
church is
not about
being
entertained.
It's about
Jesus, the
Son of Man
and the
Son of God
who we
love and
adore.
And we'll
give Him the
best offering
of praise that
we can
whenever we
meet with
whatever we've
got.
It doesn't
matter if it
doesn't sound
polished or
professional or
entertaining or
if we miss a
chord or sing
the wrong note.
The Lord knows
what we have to
give and what
we don't.
The miracles were
meant not to
entertain us.
They were meant
to point to the
man who did
them and the
Father who sent
him.
And so does
my attitude
towards church,
towards following
Jesus need an
adjustment?
What about for
my kids?
Am I helping
them?
My grandkids?
I don't have
any but maybe
you do.
Am I encouraging
them to follow
Jesus simply for
who He is and
what He has
promised?
Another thing
we see here is
a clear warning.
against spending
our efforts
mainly on stuff
that doesn't
last and wears
out.
The stuff of
this world.
Maybe some of
you as we
looked at that
verse heard
these words in
the back of
your mind.
Do not store
up for yourselves
treasures on
earth where
moth and
vermin destroy
and where thieves
break in and
steal but store
up for yourselves
treasures in
heaven.
Sounds a lot
like do not
work for food
that spoils
but for food
that lasts
unto eternal
life.
Jesus said
at one time
what good is
it for someone
to gain the
whole world
and yet forfeit
their soul?
what's your main
goal in life
right now?
What's your
mission?
Is it
measured in
earthly
success?
In the
acquiring of
some certain
nice to have
things that
when I get
those things
my life's
going to be
good.
My life's
going to be
better.
I'll be
comfortable.
I think
Jesus wants
us to set
our aim
on the
things of
heaven.
On things
that last
forever.
On the
true needs
of our
souls and
on the
souls of
other
people.
Do my
overall goals
and priorities
in life
right now
need an
adjustment?
Finally
where does all
this hit us
as we
prepare to
some of
us
gather with
family
and have
a delicious
meal with
perishable
food?
Maybe with
family and
friends this
Thanksgiving?
I don't know
how all of
you plan to
mark Thanksgiving
this year.
I've asked a
couple of
you.
It's a
strange year.
That might
factor into
it or change
it for some
of you.
Some of
you may not
be having
a big meal
like you
have in
the past
with family
or friends.
And so
if there's
anything we
take from
Jesus'
words about
food,
I hope
we know
that it's
not about
the food.
It's not.
Thanksgiving
is about
much more.
Or maybe
you do
have plans
for a
special meal
later this
afternoon
or tomorrow.
Let's not
forget to
look with
our families
as we
gather beyond
the physical
food and
having our
fill.
To the
God who
has so
generously
and graciously
given us
everything
good that
we have.
Who's not
only provided
us with
good perishable
food to
eat,
but has
given us
his son.
And through
him the
food that
lasts unto
eternal life.
A gift that
we receive
simply by
believing.
we can
thank God
for the
good food
that we
enjoy today
and tomorrow
if we are
having a
celebration
meal.
But we
have so
much more
than earthly
food to
be thankful
for.
Let's
pray.
Lord Jesus,
we thank you
for speaking
these words
to the
crowd.
Lord,
we admit
that maybe
these were
not the
words we
wanted to
hear from
you today,
but we
ask that you
would give us
ears to hear
and hearts
that are
willing to
respond.
Make those
adjustments that
we need in
our hearts.
Fix our
attitudes,
Lord,
where they're
wrong.
We confess
those things
to you.
Give us
the right
motives
and give
us a
proper
understanding
of what's
really going
on in
our lives.
Thank you
for all
the good
things you
have been
doing in
us, for
us, even
through us.
We pray
this in
Jesus' name.
Amen.