My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12
Seeing others fully committed to wholeheartedly obeying the Lord Jesus in every area of their lives always challenges me and inspires me. As I examine my own heart and mind, I find myself asking: Am I willing to say yes to God—whatever He asks of me? Am I willing to say no to the things that displease or dishonor Him?
In John 4, Jesus has just told the woman at the well that only He can quench her spiritual thirst: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (verses 13-14).
She responds to His invitation and receives this life-giving water, calling everyone in her village to come and do the same. But as this miraculous spiritual transformation is taking place, Jesus’ disciples have their mind on—what else—food!
They fuss at Him because He hasn’t eaten anything in hours. Jesus tells them, “My food . . . is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). After studying this verse for awhile, I wrote my own paraphrase: “What nourishes me and fulfills me and strengthens me is to do God’s will—to walk in obedience to His Word and His calling on my life, and to accomplish the work of His kingdom. Obedience. This is what truly satisfies my soul hunger.”
Now when I am tempted to disobey God by turning to food to meet my spiritual and emotional needs, I often remember this verse. I remember how good obedience feels—how beautiful it looks in my life and the lives of those around me. And I’m inspired to choose what is better (see Luke 10:42).
Action Item: Where do you find nourishment and strength? Memorize John 4:34 for those times when you feel tempted to take what will be an ultimately unsatisfying and unfulfilling choice. Choose what is better!
Prayer: Lord, may my body—this temple—become a living testimony, a visible reflection of the reality that Jesus is all I need.
Christin Ditchfield
Christian Author & Speaker
Taken from Better Together, FP4H Devotional Book. To order, visit our website, www.firstplaceforhealth.com or call 800.727.5223, x1002.