For What Are You Working?
John 6:27, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
Today's verse is part of a passage titled by C.I. Scofield, "The Great Discourse on the Bread of Life." Jesus speaks in varied and descriptive ways concerning His deity, and in this passage, He describes Himself as the bread of life. Notice verses 33 and 35, "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. (vs. 33). "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (vs. 35). The bread of God and the bread of life are one and the same, they are both references to Jesus Christ.
In today's verse, Jesus is stating that our primary activity and effort in life (labor) should not be focused toward that which is physical that food which gives some temporary benefit, and also can spoil becoming good for nothing. No, our labor should be labor that focuses upon that which brings first eternal life and then eternal results. Jesus emphatically states that we are to labor "...for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you."
May we labor today for that which is imperishable and incorruptible, rather than that which must be renewed, which is corruptible and worthless if not partaken of before it spoils.
Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott
MEDITATIONS
1. What does Jesus mean by saying, “I am the bread of life”?
2. Who did God send to this earth and who is described as the bread of God?
3. Can you explain how “the bread of God” and “the bread of life” are the same?
4. What is the difference between the meat that perishes and that which endures unto everlasting life?