Begin by Believing in Jesus

John 6:28-29 records a question people asked Jesus. They wanted to know how to do the works of God. Their thinking centered on effort, performance, and obligation. Jesus answered by pointing them to faith: the work of God is to believe in the One He has sent.

This response speaks to a familiar struggle in Christian life. We can take on responsibilities and participate in religious activities while feeling that we still need to do more to be accepted by God. Guilt keeps the effort going, and exhaustion can begin to feel like proof of faithfulness.

Jesus brings our hearts back to the beginning. Believing in Him means trusting who He is and resting in the work He has accomplished. Our relationship with God grows from that trust, and service finds its proper place afterward.

When faith is at the center, we care for others because Christ teaches us to see them with love. We fulfill responsibilities without turning results into a measure of our worth. We serve with freedom because our identity is found in Jesus.

Perhaps you are trying to gain through effort a security that must be received by faith. Pause and examine what has been directing your walk with God. The Lord calls you near to Jesus before calling you to any task.

28 ¶ Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, ‹This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.›