The Priority of Service

 “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.””

(‭John 4:34 ESV‬)

Satisfying our basic needs is fundamental to life. The drive to satisfy these needs is instinctual. If these needs are not satisfied, after all, we cannot survive.

What I’m referring to, of course, is our need for nourishment. What I’m referring to is our need to have our thirst satisfied. And what I’m referring to is the need for shelter and warm clothing. 

There are other needs we could discuss, but you get the point. We have certain needs that are fundamental for life. And, unless these needs are met, our life will not be long in this world.

This is what makes the statement of Jesus, seen above, so curious. Jesus had been sitting by a well, while his disciples went into town to buy food. And, as they returned, they found him talking to a Samaritan woman.

As the woman left that she might tell the townspeople about Jesus, his disciples urged him to eat. Jesus, then, responded as we see in verse 34. He told them that his food was to do the will of him who had sent him and to accomplish his work.

As we read this, it’s clear to whom Jesus is referring. He’s referring to God the Father. His food, then, was to do the will of the Father and to accomplish his work.

Jesus was explaining to his disciples, in this way, that doing the will of the Father was needful to him. Accomplishing the work of the Father was necessary for life. Like physical hunger, which has to be satisfied if we’re to survive, this was absolutely essential.

You and I don’t think of our service of God in the same way. While we may think of it as something that’s good to do, we don’t view it as essential. And while we may think of it as important, we don’t think of it as necessary.

It’s for this reason that doing the work of God and accomplishing his will falls lower on our priority list. We feel that we must first ensure that our needs are satisfied. And only then will we consider using our time, energy, and money to serve the Lord.

We certainly don’t earn life or salvation by doing the will of the Father. And we can in no way become deserving of these blessings. They are provided only by the death and resurrection of Jesus and received by faith in him.

This, however, is our purpose. It’s why we’re here. God has made us to be his own that we might accomplish his work. 

As we read in Ephesians 2, starting in verse 8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”