A Table Spread
John 4:34
Jesus said unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.
Just as Christ's 'meat' was to do the will of God, to be obedient to His Father, and to finish the work which God had set for Him to do, so, also, is our meat: to do the will of God and to finish the work which He has set for each of us to do.
SALVATION
What is God's will for our lives? Well, the first and primary will is for our salvation. John 3:16 tells us, 'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'
But with this statement comes a warning to the people who choose not to take hold of this salvation, this saving grace through Jesus Christ: John 3:17, 18 'For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God.
It is The Name of Jesus Christ by which all of us must be saved. Acts 4:12 "...there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Romans 10:9,13 "That if you shall confess with your mouth The LORD Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved....For The Scripture says, 'Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed."
RECONCILIATION
That is God's first and foremost will for us. The second is to share the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. We are, after all, His ambassadors to this world. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." We are now, through the saving grace of God, in Christ and Christ is in us. We have been reconciled (changed by God), through the power of God demonstrated at the cross and in the garden. Jesus died for you and I and He walked out of the grave after conquering death and hell.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 "And all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing (taking into account) their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us The Word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech (beg, urge) you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God."
We are changed by the power of God and The Spirit of God through our belief on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God into a new nature. Who we were before we believed is not who we are after we have believed. The change was instant, for The Spirit of God applied The Word of Faith to our hearts and Christ sits on the throne of our hearts now, not ourselves. That sinful nature we were all born with has been replaced with a holy nature, a heart that desires to love God and serve Him wholly. This change is not wrought by our own hands nor lips. It is the power of God.
HOLINESS
The third thing, will, God wants us to do, now that He has reconciled us to Himself, is to become more like Christ and less like our old selves. This is a change we must actively participate in with God's Holy Spirit. Anyone can read a Bible, but only by having an active faith and trust in God, believing that His Word is True, will The Spirit be able to apply The Word to our hearts and our lives.
2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of The LORD, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by The Spirit of The LORD."
We seek first the kingdom of God. We read the manual, the Bible, and ask God to reveal Himself to us in it as we read it. We deliberately, and with urgency, devour this heavenly Mana which God gives to us daily. We do not merely read our Bibles and go on about our day: we study, we pray, we praise, we thank, we sing, we search, we welcome The Spirit of God into our lives. This third Person in the trinity is our Helper, our Comforter, our Guide. He aids, He consoles, He leads.
Galatians 5:18 tells us that we are led by The Spirit. The next few verses describe the old natures that were once upon us and that must be expunged from us. Galatians 5:22-25 tells us that The Spirit causes, produces, the new nature in us: "But the fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in The Spirit, let us also walk in The Spirit."
ENDURANCE
We can't quit. We may rest in Christ to regain our strength, but we cannot stop until we have completed the work which God has set for each of us. Paul describes it as an endurance race. This life which we now live in Christ is not a sprint, nor a marathon, but an endurance race. We run with determination, perseverance and integrity. We endeavor to complete our mission unfailingly.
Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon The LORD (serve The LORD) shall renew their strength; they shall mount up (rise and soar) with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." We walk out our faith every single day. We trust in God's timing. We will maintain this holy faith which has been given us that we might bring glory and honor to our God when we have completed, finished, the work which He has given us to do. And I'm doing my best to do this very thing.
This is our meat. To accept the saving grace (Ephesians 2:8, 9) which saves our souls from eternal damnation. To share the gospel message of salvation through Christ with others. To live a holy and honorable life in Christ. To endure with grace, integrity, honor and trust and hope.
Are you ready to partake of the meat on the table which is spread for you?
