We’ve all done it. Heck, I was doing it last weekend. 

I had a friend in from out of town. He’s a pastor who has planted five churches he currently oversees, and he’s getting ready to plant another.  He also travels the world with a well-known apologist and author and they speak to large crowds about Jesus. 

He was telling me some of the stories of changed lives and growing churches. He was clearly making a tremendous impact for the kingdom of God. It’s hard not to admire what he is doing. It’s hard not to look at his life and want to do what he is doing.

Then on Sunday, he preached from John 4 about evangelism, but when he was reading the passage of Scripture, one verse caught my attention. It was where Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish the work He has given me to do.” John 4:34.

Jesus was talking about His calling. He was saying that fulfilling that calling was energizing and sustaining for Him. I had never thought of it like that. Nor had I really focused on the phrase, “the work He has given me to do.” It wasn’t work the Father had given to humanity in general or offered to others. It was work He gave to Jesus to do. It was a bespoke calling.

Then I remembered something else Jesus said. You probably know the story. This is post-resurrection and Jesus has appeared to the disciples. He is walking with Peter, and John is following. Jesus has just talked to Peter about the kind of death He was calling Peter to suffer. Peter, referencing John, says, “Lord, and what about this man?”

Then Jesus drops the following on Peter:

“If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”  — John 21:22.

I’m guessing that snapped Peter out of any further temptation to envy John’s calling.

It snapped me out as well. It was a good reminder that Jesus will not ask me whether I fulfilled the calling He gave someone else but whether I fulfilled the calling He had for me.

I can live with that. GS