Spiritual Food

John 4:34

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them.

Jesus had just ministered to the Samaritan woman at the well while the disciples went into town to get food. The disciples urged Jesus to eat, but He quoted this verse, instead. He seemed intent upon doing the will of the Father, rather than feeding His stomach. Was He fasting, or was He just not hungry? They still had a distance to walk to get to Jerusalem, and the disciples were apparently hungry enough to eat. Just what was Jesus saying to them in this verse?

The disciples were physically hungry. Jesus, however, was nourished by doing the will of the Father. While the disciples were busy addressing their physical hunger, Jesus was feeding Himself spiritually. His spiritual hunger was greater than His physical hunger. By doing the will of the Father and ministering where He was needed most, He found inner fulfillment and satisfaction that sustained Him. He knew His purpose, and He sought to fulfill it. In doing so, He found total contentment and lacked nothing.

People with eating disorders often feel a void on the inside, as do people who suffer from substance abuse. They seek to fill something that cannot be filled externally. The result is self-destruction. Jesus taught us here how to find balance and joy in life by feeding ourselves spiritually and fulfilling the purpose to which we were called. When you do the thing God created you to do, you are actually feeding upon His provision for you and entering into your inheritance. Nothing in life is as satisfying as this!

Christ desired to finish the work to which God had called Him. To what has God called you? What is your purpose, and what work do you need to finish? Finding purpose and finishing it is the most rewarding thing you will do in this life. If you haven’t yet discovered your purpose, spend some time in prayer today asking God to reveal it to you. If you have unfinished business to do, get to work on it. Jesus lived one day at a time and made the most of each day. We should follow His example. Don’t be so concerned about feeding yourself physically that you fail to see the big picture for which you were created and get off track from where you should be. Stick to your purpose, and God will provide all you need physically to complete your task. Don’t just survive this life; determine to thrive!

Have a blessed day!