We live in a fast-paced, turbo-charged culture, and the demands on our lives cause us to run fast and hard, day after day after day! As a result, we are regularly looking for energy to “stay in the game!” Energy drinks are the latest craze to address the “need for energy” with estimated sales of $13.5 Billion this year in the United States! We are hungry for energy!
Beyond this latest craze—there are many ways that we seek to find “refreshment” and “satisfaction.” So, we look to things like entertainment, fine dining, travel, sports cars, day spas, and simply “living for the weekend!”
In direct contrast to our culture, Jesus said that which gave him energy was doing the will of His Father! In John 4 the disciples were returning from buying food in the city of Sychar. They were all hungry from the days travel and the disciples offered Jesus a meal. Jesus’ response was anything but ordinary. After a brief exchange Jesus stated, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.” (John 4:34)
John MacArthur writes, “Jesus walked in perfect intimacy with His Father. He lived in complete accordance with the Father’s will until His cry of triumph from the cross, ‘It is finished!’…Submitting to the Father was Jesus’ constant devotion, consummate joy, and true sustenance.” Jesus said that His energy and sustenance came from more than a full stomach and from more than escaping the demands of the world for a few hours! Jesus found His life, His joy, and His energy from fulfilling the will of His Father!
This is energy the world knows nothing of! It is the energy God provides that isn’t fleeting…but it is sustaining! And this is the life that God calls all of us to enjoy. It is why we were created! Let’s be reminded that the energy that is truly sustaining is the energy God provides as we walk with Him and fulfill His will for our lives…day after day after day!