Jesus’ Words in Red Work

Jesus’ Words in Red

Work

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life”

Is your work more about spiritual rewards

Or, the temporary

Work

Sadly to say, many of us see

our work as “only a job”.

Jesus in John 5 addresses our

need for water and in Chapter 6,

addresses our need for bread.

Bread and water are two

of the basic needs to live.

Most of us realize that if we

don’t work, we don’t eat.

Many of those who were filled by the

multiplying of the loaves and fishes saw

Jesus as a way to eat without work.

"I tell you the truth, you are looking for me,

not because you saw miraculous signs but

because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

So Jesus says…

“Do not work for food that spoils,

but for food that endures to eternal life”

Those who were following Jesus asked…

"What must we do to do the works God requires?"

Jesus answered…

 "The work of God is this:

to believe in the one he has sent." 

Jesus is addressing two things…

Those who do not want to work and

have the government or the Kingdom

of God give them food stamps.

And those who work just for

their own needs, “it’s only a job”..

Work for most of us takes up

most of our awake hours in a day.

The number of people who are not

satisfied by their jobs is very sad.

Jesus left those who ate the multiplied loaves

and fishes because they wanted to make him king.

  John 6:15

Jesus is King and He has a Kingdom.

In His Kingdom everyone gets off welfare.

And those who work learn to

work for the right purpose.

In simple words, Jesus says…

"The work of God is this:

to believe in the one he has sent."   

Jesus is not saying we all quit

our jobs and become pastors.

But He is saying your job

is your mission field.

Your job should fill you

naturally and spiritually.

God is using your employer to

pay you to do the work of God.

This does not mean the task you do is to

suffer because you are about spiritual things.

Look at Jesus’ job…

The Father sent Him into a world full of

darkness and a world that wanted to kill Him.

Jesus’ work environment was filled with stress.

  

All the physical needs He met

were to meet a spiritual need.

People did not always get it, but

He continued to let the light shine.

It seems Jesus faced a lot of job

rejection but He did not quit.

You and I need to have the right

perspective about everything we do.

Our work is to believe in Jesus

but what does that mean…

For us to believe in Jesus is

to believe in what He says.

To apply it in everything we do.

Our satisfaction in our jobs should

not be the size of a pay check.

It should be the bread from

heaven God rewards us with.

Many of us lose sight of this in

the work place whether we work

for someone or others work for us.

The scriptures say…

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,

do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

How are you and I effecting

the lives we work around?

Don’t let your natural needs for bread get in

the way of your spiritual needs for spiritual bread.

Scripture Reading

John 6:25-51 NIV

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

26 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." 

30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 

34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."

35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." 

41 At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."  42 They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."