Food for thought

John 4:34 - My food, said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work

As I read this verse, I noticed a marked difference between Jesus and His disciples. Although they were travelling together and facing the same circumstances, their priorities were very different.

Jesus was intentional about going to Samaria, while the disciples would probably have preferred to avoid the region. Jesus was willing to engage a Samaritan woman, while His disciples were surprised to find Him speaking with her (John 4:27). The disciples went into town to buy physical food for consumption, but Jesus was consumed by His spiritual food,  doing the will of His Father and finishing His work.

The difference was not in their circumstances, but in their priorities and perspectives.

The disciples saw Samaria as a place to be avoided; Jesus saw it as a place of divine opportunity. The disciples saw a despised Samaritan woman; Jesus saw a soul that needed salvation. The disciples were concerned about satisfying their physical hunger; Jesus was concerned about the spiritual harvest. While the disciples were focused on the temporal, Jesus set his eyes on the eternal.

Jesus was not indifferent to His physical needs. Rather, He was so committed to fulfilling His Father's will that He would not allow immediate needs to distract Him from the mission.

As we seek to continue the work of Jesus, we must learn to see our mission, our purpose and the people around us through His eyes.

Our mission is spiritual. Our assignment is the Great Commission — to take the Gospel to those who have yet to hear and to make disciples of all nations. The people we encounter are not merely faces in a crowd; they are precious souls with an eternal destiny who need to know the love and salvation of Jesus Christ.

But we cannot accomplish this mission in our own strength. We need the power and enabling of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus promised in Acts 1:8, we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, and we will be His witnesses.

May we therefore have the heart of Jesus, the vision of Jesus and the boldness of the Holy Spirit, so that we may faithfully continue the work He has entrusted to us.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weekend at Kiros Cornerstone Church, Berastagi, Indonesia

Image
I had the wonderful privilege of spending the weekend at KCC, Berastagi, at the gracious invitation of Bishop Ezra. This trip was somewhat different, as I travelled alone. Due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, airfares had risen significantly, making it impractical for Jeya to accompany me. I arrived at Kualanamu International Airport on the evening of 29 May. Although I have often arrived on late flights, this particular arrival came with a few unexpected challenges at customs. For a brief moment, the situation seemed uncertain, but the Lord once again demonstrated His faithfulness. Everything was resolved peacefully, and I was reminded that God's hand is upon His servants even in the smallest details of a journey. Waiting patiently at the arrival hall were Bro. Yudah and his son. Their warm welcome was deeply appreciated after a long day of travel. The drive from Medan to Berastagi is never a short one, but exhaustion soon overtook me, and I spent much of the journey rest...
Read more

Discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit

Last Saturday at Kairos Community Church, I had the privilege of speaking to the youth on the wonderful subject of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. One of the questions we explored together was this:   How can we discern the voice of the Holy Spirit in a world filled with so many competing voices?   We live in an age of constant noise. Our phones demand our attention, social media shapes our thinking, and the opinions of others often crowd our minds. Yet the greatest challenge is not always the noise around us—it is the noise within us. Our minds can become a busy marketplace of thoughts, emotions, fears, desires, memories, ambitions, and anxieties. In such an environment, it is natural to ask,   “How do I know if it is God speaking to me?”   The writer of Hebrews provides a profound answer: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and att...
Read more

Remembering Uncle Thomas Malcolm Ranjore : 1940- 2025

Image
It was with great sadness that I received the news of Uncle Thomas Malcolm Ranjore’s passing on the 20th of June, at the age of 84.  Though our hearts grieve, we do not mourn as those without hope.  As Psalm 116:15  reminds us: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants.” Uncle Malcolm (as he was fondly called) was truly one of God’s faithful servants, a man whose life was marked by worship, prayer, evangelism, generosity, and love for both God and people. I remember not just someone who lived long, but someone who lived well, for the glory of God. A man of worship One thing that stands out in his life is that Uncle Malcolm was a gifted musician. He played the violin not as a performer, but as a worshipper. When he played, it was as if heaven drew near. His music ushered in the presence of God, just like the Levites in the Old Testament, who ministered before the Lord with stringed instruments. 1 Chronicles 25:6 ...
Read more