John 6:29

NASB	NLT	VOICE
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in whom He has sent.”	29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”	29 If you want to do God’s work, then believe in the One He sent.

Belief In-Depth

In the Jewish tradition, obeying the law and performing good deeds were seen as ways to obtain righteousness. Jesus is redefining that path into a single act of faith. Now, to believe, in this context, describes a deep, personal trust and reliance on Jesus. This belief is transformative. It’s continuous and active. The New Testament refers to this belief as the means of salvation. We are called to believe in the one God has sent – Jesus. Jesus embodies the role of the suffering servant and the ultimate revelation of God to humanity.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How is your belief in Jesus? Does it reflect your actions and words?

Different signs and miracles can point to Jesus’ divine nature, but they are not the end goal. Faith in Jesus is the end goal. It’s easy to look towards the struggles of the world and think it’s the end times. It’s difficult to look at a disease and see a cure. It’s difficult to look at racism and see harmony. It’s difficult to look at homophobia and see inclusivity. This doesn’t mean we stop and give in. It means we keep trusting in the good work that we’re doing to treat all of humanity the way that God treats us. It means we keep working and speaking in ways that help bring glimpses of the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth. The movements are happening and working. It’s scary to do this though. We see the backlash on the news and social media with protests, debates, and more. We see that and often ask: “Why bother?” It’s time to ask a new question: “What’s next?”

When we see resistance against the actions that would lead to equal rights to all people, it’s not time to stop – but it’s time to double down. To dig deeper into our beliefs and lean harder in our faith in God’s plan for us and the world and see what other tables we can flip. God is a god of love, justice, peace, and faith. The world shows us more hate, war, division, and chaos than ever before. Its time silence the sources from the enemy and work towards bringing God’s love and light to the world for all of those in need. We’re seeing the churches disappear due to the trauma and manipulation of some organized religions, but we are seeing more people be the Church – extending God’s hands and feet to the world.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you flip some tables in your community and work towards true compassion for others?

PRAY Action

Praise God for His word. For sending Jesus into this broken world, so we can be reconciled with our Heavenly Father.

Read Ephesians 2:8-9

Ask God for faith to do the things that make you uncomfortable. For the courage to step out in faith and help your neighbor, no matter what.

You are a caring and compassionate person. You deserve to be treated as you treat others. You deserve love and care. Don’t let anything get in the way of this fact.

Next slice of manna: Conquering Fear with Trust || Psalm 56:3 || Manna for the Mind #325