The disciples asked, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)
We can get so caught up in doing, doing, doing, that we can forget that our first priority in our relationship with Jesus is believing, not achieving.
How does this truth resonate with you today?
The first thing we must keep in view is what we are called by God to do—believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we focus on what we are called by God to be—believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we exchange achieving for believing, our entire relationship will be rooted in merit rather than mercy . . . good works rather than grace. We will be slaves to the law rather than servants of our Lord. This was the condition of the Jewish religion in Jesus’ day: the Scribes and Pharisees were trying to work their way into the blessing and favor of God.
Notice that when the disciples asked Jesus what work God required, Jesus did not say, “No work at all.” Instead He raised the work of believing to the very top of the list for those who are called by the Lord. Before we can even begin to consider any kind of service and work for our Lord, we must be settled in what we believe. We must believe that Jesus is the promised and anointed Messiah. We must believe that Jesus lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, rose from the grave, is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. Everything we achieve must flow from these truths we believe.
It’s a funny thing about believing; the more you believe, the more you will ultimately achieve. Achieving flows out of believing. This is a faith that is alive, and because it believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior, it achieves for the glory of Jesus as Lord and Savior. And all of this is a result of God’s grace in our lives. The more we believe, the more the Holy Spirit will guide us into the works that God foreordained that we should do. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
Knowing that Jesus responded to a cry for “action” with a profound statement of “belief” should be a source of great encouragement for you today. Regardless of where this finds you, Jesus wants you to focus your attention more on believing than achieving; when you do, achieving will naturally follow and flow from your believing. This is God’s perfect plan and purpose for your life. Live it today and every day until He calls you home!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 