Jesus Said, "I Have Food To Eat That You Know Not Of . . . "! There Is Great Reward, Even Physically, For Serving God! A Point for Us to Ponder!

Jesus and the woman at the well, where He told His disciples "I have food to eat that you know not of . . .!"

A Devotional for

The Sixteenth Day of May 2025

From One of the Founders of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary:

John Albert Broadus

“Spiritual Work is Refreshing to Body and Soul”[1]

Scripture Portion

"My food is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to accomplish his work." John 4: 34

We all know the power of the body over the mind, and we all know, I trust, the power of the mind over the body. How any animating theme can kindle the mind until the wearied body will be stirred to new activities; until the man will forget that he was tired, because of that in which he is interested. But it must be something that does deeply interest the mind. So, there is a suggested to us the thought that we should learn to love spiritual work. If we love spiritual work, it will kindle our souls; it will even give health and vigor to our bodies. There are some well-meaning, but good-for-nothing, professed Christians in our time, who would have better health of mind and even better health of body! If they would do more religious work and be good for something in their day and generation.

How shall we learn to love religious work so that it may kindle and refresh us? Old Daniel Sharp, who was a famous Baptist minister in Boston years ago, used to be very fond of repeating, "The only way to learn to preach is to preach." Certainly, the only way to learn to do anything is to do the thing. The only way to learn to love spiritual work is to keep doing it until we gain pleasure from the doing; until we discern rewards in connection with the doing. And to cherish all the sentiments which will awaken in us that "enthusiasm of humanity" which it was Jesus that introduced among men. And to love the souls of our fellow men, to love the wandering, misguided lives, to love the suffering and sinning all around us with such an impassioned love that it shall be a delight to us to do them good and to try to save them from death. Then that will refresh both mind and body.

[1] John A. Broadus, “Some Laws of Spiritual Work,” in Sermons and Addresses (Nashville: Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Copyright by H.M. Wharton & Co., 1886), 26-44.