An eternal goal
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (John 6:27)
Goals.
What are your goals?
Everyone has goals, whether they realize it or not. Some of those goals are repetitive, daily goals. Some of our goals are long term and rather nebulous. It is good to have goals because they keep us on track and working toward something.
Our Bible verse reminds us that while we may have all sorts of earthly goals, there is an eternal goal which is much more important and much more vital than any earthly goal.
The verse begins by reminding us that often our goals end up leading us to something which spoils or ends – “Do not work for food that spoils.” Think for a moment of the goals and plans you have for your life. How many of those goals are focused on achieving something which is momentary, fleeting or will quickly fade away? A quick scan of the effort we often put into our lives helps us see that so often we work (and often work rather hard) toward things which will be gone in a flash. This is not to say that we should not work towards these things in life, but rather it is a reminder that we have a far greater and more important goal which we should constantly be focusing on.
That is the heart of this week’s verse – “but for food that endures to eternal life.” As I read those words, I am reminded of a hymn which is usually sung at funerals – “I’m But A Stranger Here.” If you don’t know how the hymn goes, the next phrase is “heaven is my home.”
How often don’t we live like our home and final destination is here on earth? Again, not that God doesn’t want us to enjoy the blessings he gives us for this life. But let’s not get so wrapped up in them and so consumed in pursuing them that we get distracted or even forget about the most important, eternal goal of heaven!
The last phrase of the verse reminds us of one more important thing – “which the Son of Man will give you.” Unlike so many of our earthly goals which we toil and labor to achieve or obtain, our eternal goal of heaven is a gift, a free gift from God. Romans 6:23 reminds us “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.” Simply put, God gives us the gift of eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus as our Savior.
Working for food that endures to eternal life is a simple and needed reminder to keep feeding our faith by staying close to God through his Word and the Sacraments. These weekly devotions are meant as a help for that. I encourage you to feed your soul as often as possible through daily Bible reading, chapel services, worship and other devotions. All of that will help keep you focused on and pointed toward your eternal goal.