Welcome!
Welcome to our first Weekly Scripture Meditation. This will be the format each week: 1) The selected Scriptural text 2) An insight from the text 3) A timeless principle derived from the insight 4) A call to apply the timeless principle in our lives today 5) A prayer. Each meditation should take roughly five minutes to read. A new one can be expected each Monday. May these weekly meditations on Scripture be a blessing to you!
The Text (John 4:31–35)
Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”
An Insight
Our passage for today follows Jesus’ famous conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Right after our passage, many Samaritans will come to believe Jesus is the Christ as this woman did. The disciples here urge Jesus to take some food for nourishment, but Jesus says his true sustenance is to do the Father’s will. His barrier-breaking conversation with the woman and the turning of many Samaritans to himself is only part of that will. Jesus makes it clear to the disciples that there is much more will-accomplishing to be done!
A Timeless Principle
Jesus’ words remind us that life is most fully sustained by doing the will of God. Our physical bodies can survive on many kinds of food, but they will only flourish when they are given the healthiest foods. In the same way, our souls only flourish when they are fed by the will of God. Feeding is something that requires intentionality. We must buy groceries, prepare food, and set aside time to eat. We must be even more intentional if we want to not only eat but eat healthily. It does not happen by accident. In the same way, we need to be intentional about doing God’s will if we want to not only survive but nourish our souls and truly live.
Living the Text
Let’s move through today with this question hovering in the back of our minds: “How can I do my Father’s will?” At first, we may not be able to think of many answers to that question. If Jesus is right, though, then there must be an abundance of opportunities for our souls to be fed by his will. Notice that the Father’s will was not something broad or generic for Jesus in John 4. The Father’s will for Jesus on that day specifically involved the woman at the well. Are there specific people or opportunities in our families, neighborhoods, work, or elsewhere in which the Father’s will can be accomplished? We might be tempted to think that pursuing this question will only complicate our already busy lives, but Jesus’ words suggest it will provide our souls clarity and fulfillment rather than added stress.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Please set our hearts and minds on your will today. May it nourish and sustain our souls as you have assured us it will. May we actively seek to accomplish your will in our daily lives, with all the forethought, intentionality, and focus that requires. As your Son lived to do your will, may we live to do the same today.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
If you look for opportunities to serve the Lord you will find them. If you pray for God to reveal opportunities, while you are seeking, you will be amazed and even overwhelmed by how many opportunity present themselves.