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Scripture for the day: John 6:28-29 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.”
Thought for the day: What do you think? Does it bother you when some preacher somewhere reaches into the Word of God and fairly rips a text from its context, hands it to you and says, “Here, digest this for a few days and see what God is trying to tell you.” Does that bother you? I hope not because that’s what I’ve just done with today’s scripture, at least to some degree. So, let’s put it back into context, shall we? 
 Jesus had just finished preaching and teaching the great crowed that followed him, feeding the 5,000 men, along with the women and children, and escaped to Capernaum by walking across the lake. The people figured out where He’d gone and came running, probably hoping to share in another free meal. They were excited to find out how they might become a part of all these miracles, to be a part of this kingdom promised by the prophet Jesus. I see myself in that crowd.
 “Lord, I want to be a part of what you’re doing. What must I do to make that happen?”
 “Just believe in Me.”
 “Well, yeah, I know that, but what can I do to make sure I’m part of the group?”
 “Just believe in Me.”
 “I get that part. I believe in You. But there must be something I can do to prove my belief. If you could just let me know what that is, I’ll be about the kingdom business.”
 “Just believe in Me.”
 “Wait; this is getting monotonous. There’s got to be more to it than that. I mean, how many hours should I spend in church? How often should I go? What great ministry should I participate in so that You will know how sincere I am in my faith? And what about the miracles; I’m really interested in seeing the miracles.”
 “None of those things are important. Just believe in Me and all the rest will take care of themselves.”
 “Wait! Ministry isn’t important? Gathering together for worship isn’t important? Miracles aren’t important?”
 “Of course they’re important, but you’ve put the cart before the horse. The one thing I ask is that you believe in Me. All those other things will then take care of themselves.”
 Instead of being relieved as I should, as we all should, knowing that the Lord has never demanded a minimum level of participation, I wander back into the world, still trying to figure out what I can do to prove my belief. What a sad existence.
 Look again at the complete story. After His encounter with those who wanted some sign from Him before they would believe (as if the feeding of the 5,000, which included them, wasn’t enough), Jesus went on to speak of the nature of belief in Him and what that meant. Many turned back from following Him, finding the demand of faith to be more than they could pay.
 Lord, help me; You know I’ve been there, demanding to know what activity I could participate in so that You would know I am following as I should. Forgive me for being one of the crowd who demands a sign from You. Help me to echo Peter’s response: “You have the words of eternal life. I have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Now go take on your world.  -  Bill