People wanted to hear Jesus. In John 4:40-42, the samaritians heard jesus, and after they did, they told the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”. Many of us rely on the church for knowledge, we rely on our pastors to debate on issues. Have heard quite a number of friends say:" My pastor said this, or my pastor said that." It doesn't matter if there is a verse reference attached to it, the point is still from the pastor. Its quite different however, when i hear a person arguing straight from the bible and then using the its principles to address the situation. This is quite different from the previous example, where the pastor has a point to make AND then uses the bible to substantiate his point. See the difference? That said, the pastor's message cannot be totally discredited, just that the verses used runs the risk of being out of context.
The other powerful point is what motivates Jesus to do what he did. In V34, Jesus tells his disciples that his energy comes from doing the work itself. Notice his motivation was not about feeling good or altruistic but explicitly said "the will of Him (God) who sent me and to accomplish His (God's) work". The only people who will have come close to this type of determination are people who run their own business/ or professionals who truly love what they do. Yet, there is no mention of a higher being, just their own love for self achievement and passion. Given that we human beings are built to excel, the question lies herewith; are we putting our energy to use for his Kingdom? Are we engaging in Christian ministry for the right motivations? Various ministries exist, nearly all for the purpose of evangelism. Are we giving any of our energy or time to any of these ministries?
Let us strive for Christ, in body, mind and spirit. For Romans 12:2 says: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (ASV)
Joel
