God’s Word… A Food That Lasts
Today I went to Chinese food for lunch. It’s a strange move for me, because I have an aversion to Chinese food. It all stems from a childhood family struggle. Occasionally my dad would come home from work and say, “Let’s go out for dinner.” Which meant we were going to one of two places. Los Baez Authentic Mexican Food or Something Something Dragon… a gross Chinese place my brother liked.
My dad would no more than speak the words, “Let’s go…” when the campaigning and arguments would begin. I had a multitude of reasons why we shouldn’t go to the pitiful dragon restaurant, but my favorite argument was, “I hate Chinese food, because you eat it and in 5 minutes you are hungry again.”
Isn’t that strange? Why is it that you can you eat Chinese food and be hungry again in 5 minutes and when you fill up on Mexican food you aren’t hungry again until next Thursday? Well, I know… It’s because Mexican Food is obviously superior. Wow. I’m still good at this debate.
All these fond memories came flooding back as I ate Chinese food today. And then there came the application realization moment where I remembered Jesus’s words…
John 6:27 – “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him, God the Father has set his seal.”
These are the words He spoke to the crowds who’d been following him. They weren’t following Jesus because they believed He was their salvation, but because He’d been giving them bread to eat. His argument? Why are you seeking a food that doesn’t last, when you have before you a food that is eternal?
I think we can learn at least two things from Jesus here…
- Jesus would agree with me that Mexican Cuisine is vastly superior to Chinese.
- And slightly more important, “We need to seek out the things that are eternal, rather than those things that are here today and gone tomorrow.
This is why I’m so grateful for our time together learning The Story. I’ve been impressed with how engaged the congregation has been and I want to encourage you to keep it up. Spend the time personally, as a family and/or with grandchildren learning and sharing His story. Together we will learn more about this great God we belong to and what it means to live in the Lord Jesus Christ. And lastly, trust that whenever you spend time in the scriptures, His blessing will follow, because His is the eternal food of God’s Word.
Blessings on your time in God’s Word. Also don’t try to argue with me that Chinese food is better. If I must explain to you all the reasons why I’m right, it will be exhausting for both of us.
Thank you Lord, Pastor Guy Roberts
