🙏 John 4:34 | True Satisfaction

together with

Happy Friday, everyone!

There are many things to be thankful for today. Spending one more day in John 4:34 is just one of them!

In today’s email…

• 🙏 A recap of everything we covered this week

• 🤔 Where this leaves us today

• 📚️ In case you missed it…

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

_____ ____ __ ____, “__ ____ __ __ __ ___ ____ __ ___ ___ ____ __ ___ __ __________ ___ ____.”

John 4:34

TOGETHER WITH 1517

CONTEXT 📕 

It’s been a rich week together in John 4:34!

Here’s the journey we’ve walked, day by day:

On Monday we zoomed out to see where John 4:34 fits in the bigger picture of the Gospel of John.

John wrote so that we might believe Jesus is the Son of God and find life in His name. And in this verse, we heard Jesus describe what truly sustains Him.

It’s not food or fame, but doing the Father’s will. We learned that obedience is the soul’s nourishment.

On Tuesday we stepped into the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.

While the disciples were focused on buying food, Jesus was focused on bringing life. Right after offering “living water” to an outcast woman, He told His followers that His “food” was to do the Father’s will.

We discovered that real fulfillment doesn’t come from consuming, but from completing God’s purpose.

On Wednesday we slowed down to look at three powerful Greek words:

• brōma — “food” or nourishment. Obedience feeds the spirit like a meal feeds your body.

• thelēma — “will” or desire. Jesus’ delight was in aligning with the Father’s will. This is the work of discipleship and becoming more like Jesus: for our own desires to become aligned with God’s desires.

• ergon — “work” or purpose. The mission God gave Him to complete was finished on the cross and in the resurrection.

We saw how Jesus' words are a blueprint for the satisfied life — built on hunger for God's purposes rather than our own preferences.

And finally on Thursday we zoomed in on Jesus Himself — how this verse revealed His heart and mission.

He turned His disciples’ attention from lunch to lives. From what fills the stomach to what fills the soul. And He showed us that joining God’s work is where true satisfaction is found.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

So where does this leave us?

Live with purpose. Like Jesus, let your satisfaction come from doing what God asks of you today: finishing the email you don’t want to write, forgiving the person you’d rather ignore, or praying for someone instead of complaining.

Live with focus. Like the Samaritan woman, tell your story openly. Share with your coworker how faith helped you through a hard season, text a friend about what you’re learning, or invite someone to church this Sunday.

Live with joy. See obedience not as pressure but as nourishment. Every time you choose patience over frustration, prayer over worry, or gratitude over grumbling, you’re feeding your spirit with God’s will.

Bonus: Two ways this verse has blessed me is to use it as a simple one-line prayer during times of:

1. Testing: When I’m faced with a difficult choice, I say to myself: My food is to do the will of Him who sent me.

2. Fasting: When I’m fasting and seeking the Lord’s face, this is the number one verse I speak over myself. It’s incredibly powerful to let this verse remind you that doing God’s will is more satisfying than eating when your body is hungry.

In the coming week, I encourage you to call on this verse throughout your day and notice how it focuses your mind and heart on doing God’s will in whatever situation you find yourself in.

🙏 Pray

Father, thank You for showing me through Jesus what true fulfillment looks like. Feed my soul with Your purpose. Help me live today hungry for Your will and satisfied in Your work. And let my life point others to the same living water that changed a Samaritan woman’s heart, and mine. Amen.

RESOURCES 📚️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into the verse and its themes:

• 📚️ Obedience to Christ: Striving For the Greatest Wisdom of All by A.W. Tozer (link)

• 📚️ The Insanity of Obedience: Walking with Jesus in Tough Places by Nik Ripken (link)

• 📚 Like Me: A Story About Disability and Discovering God’s Image in Every Person by Laura Wifler (link)

• 📚 The Scandal of the Kingdom: How the Parables of Jesus Revolutionize Life with God by Dallas Willard (link)

• 📚️ What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst (link)

• 📚️ The Gospel according to John (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)) by D.A. Carson (link)

• 📹️ John 1-12 Overview by BibleProject (link)

• 🎵 You Are My All In All by Shane and Shane (Spotify | Apple Music | Full Malachi Daily Playlist)

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ANSWER KEY ✅ 

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

John 4:34