The Meat of the Matter

I’ve used this graphic before, when discussing New Testament meat and milk. I’ve touched on the subject in other posts about mature Christians, too.

But not until Sunday did I make the connection to a servant’s heart and the true nourishing meat offered to us.

For more than a year now, our Pastor has done a series of sermons on Christ’s life. We’ve just finished with the Lord’s last Passover with His disciples and the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Sunday morning Pastor’s sermon was on Pecking Order and the dissension among the disciples as to who was greatest. This wasn’t a new discussion, it happened before, even with a mother involved. (No, won’t reference that – look it up.) Evidently James got the message:

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. (James 3:13-16 KJV)

It is a servant’s heart that leans on God’s wisdom – and is well fed. That came in Sunday evening’s service from a visiting church planter:

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34 KJV)

No, that was not the centerpiece of his sermon – read on about fields white unto harvest. But, it did speak to my heart, especially after yesterday’s post.

Christ’s true nourishment was doing God’s will. What is ours?

We need water, too. Especially the water Jesus gives:

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14 KJV)

Twice in the verse do we read “I shall give,” so we know the source of this living water. Do we know how to take it? Or do we keep repeating the words of the disciples, that continually echo through centuries:

Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. (John 14:8 KJV)

What is sufficient for us to believe? For Paul it took being struck blind on the road to Damascus. For Thomas, it took seeing Jesus standing before him:

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29 KJV)

It took me more years than I wish to admit to before I understood and received that blessing. So many years before I gained greater appreciation for the many people I know who have sought and achieved a servant’s heart.

My goal now is to spend more and more time with those who serve, in conversations and communications, that I might learn more and more how to be nourished by the will of God, as Jesus was. Our example:

Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. (John 13:13-16 KJV)

Why? He gives that answer, too.

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. (John 13:17 KJV)

Knowing isn’t the happiness, is it? Doing is the meat of the matter and doing brings happiness!!