Do you “come to Jesus” to GET something or, to BECOME someone? 

The former approach (get) may satisfy a momentary temporal need, while the latter approach (become) addresses a deeper, eternal need for inner transformation.

The first approach (get) is like getting a drink of ordinary water that satisfies for the moment, only to leave you thirsty again.

The second approach (become) implants a well of living water through the Holy Spirit within you that never stops flowing.

Jesus promised in John 4:14-15: “Everyone who drinks of this water (temporal) will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”

So, why settle for an occasional sip when you can have the whole fountain?

Treating God like a private “gumball machine” in the sky

In a previous commentary I wrote, “When they were in college, my kids would often call me from afar with the predictably manipulative salutation, ‘Hi, Dad! How are you?’ I would immediately straighten up and brace for the punchline. They were not inquiring about the state of my health, they were far more interested in the state of my wallet. Oh sure, they cared about me, but what they really needed, what prompted the call, was something they wanted. Loving them as I did, I took the whole thing in stride, mildly amused that they thought they were fooling me about their true intentions.”

We’re all a little like that, pelting Heaven with a torrent of needs and wants for material wealth, a better job, a new car, getting/staying sober, restoring lost relationships, etc.

Trouble is, we stop there, ignoring our deeper, underlying spiritual needs.

It happened when our Savior walked this planet. A never-ending stream of people came to Jesus for physical healing, demon exorcism, etc.

But Jesus was always on the lookout for those few who saw Him as more than just a miracle healer. He wanted people who saw Him for what He really was, “… the way, and the truth, and the life…”

One who, as noted in John 14:6, claimed to be the only road to Heaven, “no one comes to the Father except through Me.”

This was the One who could meet their deepest needs for inner transformation and eternal purpose, not merely to fix their broken bones.

In Romans 8:28-29, the Apostle Paul wrote about God’s ultimate plan for mankind:

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son”

Imagine that. Sinful old you and me, gradually becoming Christ-like. It doesn’t seem possible, but there it is in black-and-white.

God wants to transform us into loyal/loving family members who want to become like Him — not drop-in mooches who only turn up on holidays for a handout.

He doesn’t want us to stay the same old “us,” unbroken, unrepentant, unchanged.

Jesus colorfully illustrated the intimate connectedness between His follower/believers in this familiar passage from John 15:5-8:

“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing … But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is — when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.”

It doesn’t get any more intimate and dependent than a branch and its source-vine. By itself, a branch withers and dies. Connected to the vine, it becomes a conduit, bearing life-giving fruit.

Bible commentator Bill MacDonald wrote in Believer’s Bible Commentary: “As the children of God exhibit the likeness of Christ to the world, the Father is glorified. People are forced to confess that He must be a great God when He can transform such wicked sinners into such godly saints.”

How About You?

In a particularly distasteful episode between God and His freshly delivered chosen people, we read in Numbers 11:4-6: “The misfits among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, ‘Why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt — and got it free! — to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna.’”

God was offering manna from Heaven and all they wanted was a full belly. Don’t fall into the same trap.