What is the Work of God?

Being a Christ-follower is very simple—yet most difficult to practice.  Sounds like a paradox. We’ve all said “I want to do whatever He wants.  But He just isn’t telling me what that is.” 

Jesus had fed 5,000 plus people with five barley loaves and two small fish, enough to satisfy one small boy’s hunger.  When the episode was over, the disciples gathered twelve full baskets of left-over broken pieces.  When the crowd realized what had just happened, it dawned on them Jesus was the one the prophet said would come so they wanted to make Him their king.  Knowing their fantasies, Jesus went away to be by himself.

The next day the crowd realized this miracle-worker had gone across the lake so the leaders in the crowd found boats to go enlist Him to be their king.  The leader then asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires? (John 6:28 NIV).  Isn’t this essentially the same question that rattles around in our heads?  Jesus’ answer is profound and applies to us today.   He said, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:29, NIV)  The text reads they asked about what works (plural) because they were accustomed to fulfilling their long list of things to do to be holy.  Jesus answered saying the work (singular – the only work) God wants you to do is to truly place your confidence in Jesus.  Everything He wants us to do will flow out of fully trusting Him.

Today we can say we have placed our confidence in Jesus, but have we really?  Somewhere through the years having faith in Jesus has become totally separated from becoming His student or disciple.  Such an apprentice is eager to learn and then practice whatever Christ does.  This negligence of emulating the heart of Jesus is prevalent in all too many regular church attenders.  As has been said many times, church members already know far more than they practice.  This unmasks the large gap between today’s church attender and Jesus’ apprentices (disciples) in the early church.

We tell ourselves practicing what Jesus practiced is too hard, maybe impossible, so each of us determine how much space we will give between knowing and learning to literally live with the heart Jesus had.  To be certain, it IS impossible for us to live that kind of life in our own abilities—but then, wasn’t that precisely why the same Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus was promised to be given to each believer?  Our problem is not that we CANNOT live like our Master, it is that we want to control our lives instead of trusting in Jesus and all He and His Spirit have provided for us in order to be like Him.

The Christian walk is amazingly simple, genuinely believe/trust only in Him; lean not on our understanding.  We glibly say we seek the kingdom of God where He is the sovereign King, not us; yet we discount what we already know what our King has written for us to do—Love Him and Him alone with ALL that is within us.  Our biggest challenge is to deny our insistence to control our agenda in life and do our part to spend quality time talking with Him and obediently take the steps He sets before us.  We don’t have to figure everything out if He has everything well planned for us.  Yes, there will be mountains, dark valleys, potholes, and speedbumps but so what if He works everything for our good.  Can we just accept we won’t know what will be around the next corner as long as we have a firm connection with Him?   We can walk through it all with a deep sense of healthy confidence and well-being plus enjoy the rewards of walking with Him in His path. 

How is your life reflecting the single work of God—just daily resting in your trust in Him?

Share