"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work". Jesus said this to his disciples once when they offered him food to eat. This confession reveals to us Jesus' motivation and challenges the motivations that rule our life. Jesus did not say he did not need to eat but that his physical needs were not what he lived for. Jesus lived to do the will of God and to accomplish the work God gave him to do on earth. God's will for Jesus was the cross as the end goal, and teaching, healing and casting out demons as the daily goals toward the end goal. Jesus also made it a priority to be in fellowship with his Father each day so he could know both the daily will of God and continue to focus on the end goal of God's will. When Jesus said "it is finished" he was not only commenting on the work of salvation through his death but also that he had completed God's work on earth.
God's greater will for us is that we be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus (Romans 8.29). God also has daily work for us to do, most of which may seem mundane but which is used to fulfill the greater will of God through renewal of our minds, the formation of Christlike attitudes, and good works in Christ's name.
Jesus also said "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" citing Deuteronomy 8.3 when tempted by the Devil to focus on his physical needs. Our lives as followers of Jesus are to focus on God, God's Word and doing God's will as our nourishment and source of life (John 6.35,51).
Is doing the will of God and accomplishing God's work the food of your life?
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