Since we cannot travel to see the girls, let’s go on a road trip.    That was our holiday during 2020, journeying, sightseeing across seven states (2,900+ miles) and keeping our social distance AWAY from the rest of the world.  Just our vehicle, ourselves, and the open road. So we grabbed some clean socks, our phone chargers, some cash, our toothbrushes, and our vehicle keys. “Darrell, we must be sure to wear our “favorite” travel clothes,” (and I knew EXACTLY what t-shirt Darrell was grabbing out of the closet to wear for our journey), I said as we left home one summer morning, not really sure where we were headed, but pointing our Toyota in the direction of WEST.
These next questions may seem a little misplaced, but hang with me for a minute.

Q1—-Do we work for the right reason?

Q2—-Do we seek the right wages?

Q3—-Do we really know what’s most worthy as payment for our days of toil?

Q4—-Do we leave our homes each day (for work) and fully understand the ultimate purpose for our time away from the comforts of our homes?

Yes, today we are pausing to see the reasons we choose to work.   Jesus addressed the same questions for the people, and His answers then still apply to us today.

Question #1—-Work for The Right Reason—John 6: 26

Question #2—-Work for The Right Wages—John 6: 27

Question #3—-Work for The Worthy Payment—John 6: 32

Question #4—-Work for The Ultimate Purpose—John 6: 29

There are multitudes of people living in the world who seek nourishment to satisfy the momentary weakness found in being hungry, and the people in Jesus’ day were no different.  We work. We toil. We spend hours away from our homes, hoping that one day soon, we will be given the opportunity to go on a vacation AWAY from our work.  Fifty weeks of toil + 2 weeks of vacation = A Full Year, & IF we are fortunate enough to work less weeks out of the year and vacation more days, then we count our blessings and make plans for even MORE FUN AWAY AS WE SEEK HOLIDAY FUN.

Since the travel borders were closed due to the virus, we decided upon a road trip to SEE what we had never SEEN, as we headed WEST into the world of large farms, large farming equipment, large fields, and smaller crowds of people.  It did not take us long to know we needed to find some “travel” food to eat as we journeyed.  Why is it that when on a journey, we fill ourselves with quick gas station food, you know the kind that fills our stomachs for a minute and then we are famished again quite soon?

Darrell and I were on a driving vacation across multiple states we were not familiar with, and so we paused at the next gas station for fuel and quick snacks.  After filling our gas tank, we stepped inside the store and walked up and down the aisles, searching for that best possible fare to munch on as we drove toward the next destination——the next BIG Farm & LARGE Tractor & the next HUGE Field to see.     Finally, after several passes down the aisles, we SAW our favorite “travel food” (for me—-a bottle of chocolate milk, a bag of cheddar popcorn & red licorice & for Darrell—–a water and a Little Debbie snack cake).    After polite, small talk with the cashier, we exchanged money— one hand to another—-and walked out to our vehicle, situated our snacks for the journey, balancing the bag of popcorn upon the console between us (yes, Darrell wanted to share my snack, but the red licorice was all mine), and then we took off, heading toward our next new site, enjoying our gas station “food” as we journeyed.

Cheddar Popcorn. Red Licorice. Chocolate Milk—-Little Debbie Cakes———the ULTIMATE food we chose to consume after toiling several weeks at our jobs just so we could “get away” and enjoy a quick holiday.
Have we really eaten?

Have we really consumed food that will sustain us?

Have we really selected the best fare possible to fill our stomach?    &

Have we really kept ourselves from hunger until the next journey stop?

Clearly—–Road snacks are not sustaining meals!!!!!     No Way.    No How.

Jesus knew this too. Jesus knows people needed to be fed, to be filled with that which sustains.

Jesus knows that quick, junk “travel” food would NOT truly satisfy our deep longing for good nourishment. 
Are we striving to consume what is most acceptable to God?

In the Bible, we see how Jesus spoke words of truth to the people, words of truth still applicable to us today. “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.   Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.’….‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.’” (John 6: 26-27 & 32-33).

Maybe we are not on a holiday journey today, but still, we are traveling a “lifetime journey” toward our eternity.

May we today fully understand the reason WHY we labor. &

May we today seek the wages from WHOM controls all things. &

May we today strive toward the most worthy payment available, the food that sustains.    &

May we today place OUR FOCUS upon the ultimate purpose we must DAILY SEEK as we journey toward our heavenly home.

Do not let us become consumed with the “gas station snacks” found within this world, but let us look to our Father God’s sustaining, nutritional food (His Holy Word) that fills us and satisfies our soul.

****Oh, and by the way, for all those wondering minds out there….Darrell’s FAVORITE shirt is none other than his grey, Underarmour t-shirt that he ALWAYS WEARS (unless I can successfully hide it away for a few days).

May you enjoy today’s walk through life toward eternity.