What must we do to do the work God requires?

“What must we do to do the works God requires?” John 6:28

Sometimes life just seems to get a bit complicated. There’s too much to do, too many things to think about, too many decisions to make. In the same way, I sometimes start worrying about all the things I need to do to be a good Christian. At times like this, it would be nice to get back to the basics … to simplify things. But what are the basics? What do we need to do to satisfy God?

One answer can be found in the section of John’s gospel that we have been studying in our Homegroup. A crowd is following Jesus after witnessing the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. Some of them ask Jesus what God requires them to do. Jesus replies in one short sentence: 

“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 
John 6:29

If we get ourselves into a tangle about what we actually need to do to be a Christian, we can always come back to these simple words.

A little later in the passage Jesus explains further by saying.

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life.”
John 6:40

Let us confirm that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and let him show us the way.