31In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. -John 4:31-34 (KJV)
God bless you, my readers, for not giving up on me. I have taken on a part-time job to help makes ends meet and this has cut into my writing time more than I had imagined. So, please bear with me as I seek to re-orient my schedule to having less time to devote to my blog.
The other day was one of those where I went from one meeting and obligation to another. Breakfast was a piece of toast at 6:00 AM as I was dashing out the door, lunch was a chicken burrito from Taco Bell while driving to a meeting, and suppertime was overlooked completely due to an evening meeting of the local association of Baptist churches. Following this event I went to the fellowship hall of the church hosting the meeting to partake of the refreshments which were provided. 40 or so people had been expected at the gathering, yet nearly 80 had shown up. Those refreshments were going fast.
As I made my way to the food table, which was an assortment of tiny egg-salad sandwiches, chips, dips, and carrot sticks I was intercepted by a man who greeted me and inquired as to the health of my wife Andrea who is a cancer survivor. I gave him an update and he rejoiced with me over how well she is doing. He then went on to tell me about the major surgery he underwent recently and how well he was doing. I listened intently and expressed my thanks to God for this man’s recovery. All the while my stomach was rumbling. The man finally released me and suggested I eat something as he thought perhaps I was looking a bit undernourished. He didn’t know the half of it.
I quickly made my way to the table, snatched one of those flimsy paper plates so common at these functions, and began filling it with the leftovers, which by then were fairly scant. With my mouth watering I was about to find a place to sit down when someone caught me and began to ask me about the ministries at my church. By then I realized that sitting down and eating simply wasn’t in my immediate future. I resigned myself to my fate and had a nice discussion with this interesting person.
About that time I thought of the words of Jesus, who said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” God knew I was hungry and about to collapse, yet He would provide. When I was sure everyone who desired an audience with me was finished I found a place to sit down, alone, and began to eat. I was quickly joined by some acquaintances who may have found it odd that nearly my entire conversation took place with my mouth full of food. It couldn’t be helped.
God will give us the strength, when we need it, in His time and in His way. The Lord will provide. What a broad and bold statement! It is absolutely true. Doing God’s will must come first. Let this be top priority for followers of Christ.
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