Your Faith in Jesus the Christ: the Work of God
Like the crowd that sought out King Jesus in Capernaum so long ago, many Christians, or religious individuals, still seek Him for His blessing or what He can do for them. That is sad, but very true. You may trust Him because He healed your neighbor from cancer. But will you trust Him if your daughter gets sick and dies? Do you trust the Lord God to provide your rent money? Will you still trust Him if your rent is due and the money isn't there? Where is your faith in God's written Word? Is it in Christ or in what He can do for you and yours? Read how the Lord Jesus responded to the crowd:
Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Notice, Jesus stated that His Father wanted them (people) to believe in Him (His Son).
Please note: In the Kingdom of God, our faith is more in the nature of God than the products of God. Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” When Jesus made that statement, the people were confused. In essence, they said to Jesus, "Well, if we are not supposed to follow You for bread or fish or anything else that we can get from You, then what are we supposed to do?" His simple answer to them: "Believe on the One the Father sent". The answer is still the same. People do not really desire to become part of a religion or become Christian. They truly desire to enter the Kingdom. But first they must embrace the King of the Kingdom. The problem is, people see so many variations of behavior of those who claim to be representatives of the Kingdom. Remember, Jesus and the Father are of one mind. I and My Father are one.
Take my advice. Do not put your faith in the "activities" of God, because He may not act in the way you expect Him to. This does not mean that He is unfaithful or untrustworthy. But I will say, from our perspective, His faithfulness and actions are unpredictable. It can also mean that His purpose and will are not always completely visible from our limited vantage point. God's purpose is always greater than any of our personal perspectives or circumstances. Will your faith stand the test of not understanding why God allowed something bad to happen in your life; or why something you prayed for didn't happen? In those moments, you are moved from the "potter's wheel" and are being "fired in the potter's kiln". But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.
I will continue with this subject in my next article.
John 6:28-33 John 10:30 Isaiah 64:8
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Continue to Part 2
Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Notice, Jesus stated that His Father wanted them (people) to believe in Him (His Son).
Please note: In the Kingdom of God, our faith is more in the nature of God than the products of God. Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” When Jesus made that statement, the people were confused. In essence, they said to Jesus, "Well, if we are not supposed to follow You for bread or fish or anything else that we can get from You, then what are we supposed to do?" His simple answer to them: "Believe on the One the Father sent". The answer is still the same. People do not really desire to become part of a religion or become Christian. They truly desire to enter the Kingdom. But first they must embrace the King of the Kingdom. The problem is, people see so many variations of behavior of those who claim to be representatives of the Kingdom. Remember, Jesus and the Father are of one mind. I and My Father are one.
Take my advice. Do not put your faith in the "activities" of God, because He may not act in the way you expect Him to. This does not mean that He is unfaithful or untrustworthy. But I will say, from our perspective, His faithfulness and actions are unpredictable. It can also mean that His purpose and will are not always completely visible from our limited vantage point. God's purpose is always greater than any of our personal perspectives or circumstances. Will your faith stand the test of not understanding why God allowed something bad to happen in your life; or why something you prayed for didn't happen? In those moments, you are moved from the "potter's wheel" and are being "fired in the potter's kiln". But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.
I will continue with this subject in my next article.
John 6:28-33 John 10:30 Isaiah 64:8
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Continue to Part 2
