Today's chapter in my one year bible reading plan is taken from John 6:22-42. The day before the crowd had witnessed a miracle---Jesus feeding 5000 with 5 loaves and fishes and this new day, they are hungry for Him, searching for Him first in Tiberias but He was gone. So they jumped into their boats and off they went to Capernaum. In finding Him, Jesus says 'I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don't be concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of His approval. They replied, We want to perform God's works too. What should we do? Jesus told them, 'this is the only work God wants from you. Believe in the one He has sent.'
We are just like these people, asking God what should we do because we want to perform the type of miracles that He does. And yet, Jesus's answer is simple 'believe in the one He (God) has sent.' Believing comes before doing. From believing flows all our actions, all our doing. What we believe determines how we respond. We cannot win any battles if we do not believe they can be won. God's message to us is first 'believe' and when you believe, the Lord indeed begins to work out that 'doing' in us in ways immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
If I believe in the One God has sent, then no challenge, no trial, no conflict, no darkness, no evil, no pain, no suffering, no struggle cannot be overcome. If I believe in the One God has sent, then my life ought to reflect the attributes of God---His love, His kindness, His compassion, His tenderness, His righteousness, His justice. If I believe in the One God has sent, then my heart can be transformed to reflect the fruit of the Spirit---love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. If I believe in the One God has sent, then my choices ought to reflect His choices. If I believe in the One God has sent, then the things on His heart, ought to be the things on my heart. That which breaks His heart, should break my heart, that which grieves His spirit, should grieve my spirit, that which He says is true, I ought to be believe is true. If I believe in the One God has sent, then my entire being on this earth is to reflect His glory.
John 6 goes on to teach that Jesus is the Bread of Life and that whoever comes to Him will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Him, will never be thirsty.
Dear Jesus, help me, help us to keep coming to you, we need your nourishment, we need you, we are only laboring in vain, if we are not abiding in you. Come and breathe your life in us afresh each day that we might daily believe in You. Flood our souls with your truth that we will believe your word and in so doing, stand firm against the fiery darts of the enemy and proclaim your truth that you being the Bread of life, will provide food for our souls, nourish us for the journey ahead, satisfy our longings and refresh us as we continue to run the race you have laid out for our lives. Let it be said of each of us, 'because we believed in the One whom God has sent, we like the saints of past, overthrew, kingdoms, ruled with justice and received what God had promised. We shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, escaped death by the edge of the sword, our weakness was turned into strength and we became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. (Hebrews 11: 33-34)
