From Pastor Todd

Laboring for What Endures

Here we go—September. What a wonderful month to serve the Lord. Then again, every month and every day is a great day to serve Him.

As we enter September, we sense the change of seasons approaching. Even though it’s still hot as I write this, we know cooler weather is on the way—all because of God’s handiwork and His faithful ordering of creation.

The first holiday we encounter this month is Labor Day, a day set aside to honor the work God has called men and women to do. It gives us a moment to pause and reflect on our labor.

Jesus had something to say about labor as well. In John 6:27, He tells us:

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

This tremendous verse comes right after Jesus performs two miracles: – In John 6:1–14, He feeds the multitude. – In John 6:15–21, He walks on the water and calms the storm.

The next day, people come looking for Him. Many had eaten the bread He multiplied or had heard about the miracle. That’s why Jesus says in verse 26, “You seek Me… because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” They were pursuing Him for physical provision, not spiritual truth.

With that in mind, Jesus presses the deeper point in verse 27. He contrasts food that perishes with food that endures to everlasting life.

Does Jesus know we get hungry? Of course. He Himself initiated the feeding of the multitude so they wouldn’t leave physically empty. But here He is speaking of something far greater.

Jesus wants us to labor—to concern ourselves—with the food that leads to everlasting life. This is the very purpose for which He came: to bring life to mankind. He says this life is something “the Son of Man will give you.” God Himself has made the way for us to receive eternal life.

“God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Jesus came to do what no man could do—live perfectly and offer Himself as the sacrifice for sin. There is no other way to receive life from God than to place faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As He declares in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

The crowd then asks in verse 28, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answers plainly in verse 29:

“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Here is the summary of Jesus’ teaching: The greatest need of man is not physical food but everlasting life. The “labor” God calls us to is believing in the One He sent—Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.

This is my prayer for you this Labor Day weekend: that you will recognize your need for a Savior, place your faith in Him, and receive the food that never perishes.

Have a wonderful Labor Day, a refreshing weekend, and a blessed month of September.

Pastor Todd