Jesus: Our Example

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work
- John 4:34

What drives you? What motivates you? What sustains you? Jesus revealed to his disciples, when they could not understand his passing up a lunch break, that his driving motivation was the will of his heavenly Father.

My meat, my food, my sustenance comes from doing the will of God and finishing the work of God, Jesus says. Notice that it does not suffice Jesus' appetite to simply know the will of God or to study his works. Jesus finds his fulfillment in actively engaging in the work of God and persevering until it is completed.

Too often we think of Christianity as a set of beliefs only. But following Christ invariably means hungering to know the will of God and being satisfied only when we are engaged in it. Nothing else can substitute for active obedience.

And Jesus takes it a step further than obedience; his mission statement includes completion of the work that God has for him to do. Jesus is not just trying to salve his conscience or make a show of obedience; his satisfaction only comes in the achievement of God's purpose for him here.

What about you? Is your meat to do your Master's will? Are you actively seeking to practice the Christian faith, in public and in private? Are you striving to finish the great purpose for which God has placed you here?