“My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work”. John 4:34

In America, we like our food, and lots of it. Good food is not only enjoyable, but critical for nourishment and health. Still, this had to seem like a strange comment by Jesus to his disciples using food to talk about God’s will. But, it was a powerful illustration of the greater reality that, while good food is good for the body, to do the Father’s will is good for the soul. And Jesus said it knowing that, for him, the Father’s will meant a journey to the Cross.

German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote these words during the oppressive reign of the Third Reich in his homeland: “A righteous man lives for the next generation”. Bonhoeffer understood that such as life resonates with the Father’s heart—it is the will of God. He wrote these words at a time when many of the older generations in his country, like ours today, were living their lives almost entirely for themselves in pursuit of convenience and comfort while ignoring the plight of those around them, including the next generations being lured into the Nazi lies.

As a grandfather desperately wanting to hand down the legacy of God’s truth and grace, I want the Lord’s passion to also be mine—to feast at the banquet table of God’s will. There is no greater delight or more nourishing food for my soul than sharing and modeling the Word of truth, the Gospel of our salvation, with my grandchildren and their generation. I want to spend my life doing the will of the Father by living for the next generation, not settling for the junk food of a wasted life spent on myself. Are there any other grandparents who want to enjoy some good soul food with me?

GRANDPAUSE: Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship…then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2