John 6:27

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

From Background Notes [BN] for September 15^th & 16^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Taking a page from the manna story in Exodus, Jesus warns about eating bread that spoils — bread that is taken and hoarded (see Exodus 16:11ff). God refuses to sit at the table where such bread is served and taken. At such a table, His temple lies in ruins, and creation must object and withhold the harvest.

By contrast, Jesus would later instruct, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). “These things” include all the gifts of nature’s harvests, and they must not be taken apart from the interests of God’s kingdom. When they are, and when our homes become the storehouses that hoard the gifts of nature while neglecting the kingdom of God, nature will withhold the rain, and the drought will come. As with the manna in Exodus 16, any form of greedy accumulation ends up as loss.

“Consider your ways” means that we should pay close attention to how our actions lead to consequences. In matters of the kingdom, we are encouraged to ask ourselves regularly, “How’s that working out for you?” [BN, 10]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am, 5:30pm