Belief is Work (John 6)

Is it work for you to believe in Jesus?

It has been for me. My greatest spiritual struggle over the years has been doubt. I have gone into some very dark places in the thought patterns as I think away God. There have been multiple ways and for multiple reasons that I have done this, my own sinful desire for one. If God didn't exist then I could go as far as I liked into a lustful addiction. If there is no God then I don't have to listen to what he has to say. I find at this point in my life by greatest struggle with unbelief is in God's provision. I am back in school once again and this means no income from my side only lots of output. My disbelief manifests itself in worry and uncertainty where rent will come from and then if I am in the right place with doing this whole degree thing. The work of belief has to be done to remember the call upon my life to come to this place.

In John Chapter 6 Jesus does amazing miracles -- he feeds 5000+ people on the hillside, and then he walks on water. And then he has one of the most difficult conversations for his followers. He could have keep the energy going and been made king that day. But instead he uses the great miracle of feeding so many to winnow his true disciples. The people ask him what they must do to be doing the works of God. In verse 29 Jesus answers them that the work of God is to believe in the one whom he sent. The work of God that the people must do is to believe in Jesus. Then he goes on to give them something very hard to believe. "You must eat my flesh and drink my blood." This is the work of belief. Only through this action can his followers abide in him.

Jesus clarifies in verse 63 that he is speaking of the words of life that he is offering to them. They must believe his words, they must believe in him as messiah, they must believe that as he offers his flesh on the cross for all of us that he has done so to save us. The work of God is to believe in the one whom he has sent...to believe in Jesus.

Thanks be that his is the work of God! Jesus also tells the people that those who come to him only do so by being drawn to him by the Father. So this work of belief is not all up to us, it is rather the work of God. He draws us to Jesus all we have to do is surrender.

All I have to do is surrender my sin and those addictive desires and find freedom in Christ. Is this hard? Is this work? Oh Yes, but it is the work of God in me. I must surrender to his provision in my life and do the task, which he has set before me to accomplish believing that he will see me through.

May we surrender to the work of God in our lives today and believe anew in the one whom he has sent...Jesus Christ.