1 Samuel 8-9 / John 6:22-42 / Psalm 106:32-48 / Proverbs 14:34-35
There are two verses I want to tie together for today’s devotional. The simplicity of their truth is profound, but not many are able to grasp and walk in what God is saying. The two verses are:
John 6:29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One He has sent.
Proverbs 14:34 Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
I remember reading the verse in John a few years ago and being struck by how simple God’s request was of me. Many in religion believe they must earn their salvation through their good works. That is false. We do not earn what Jesus Christ has provided; it is a free gift.
That does not mean we don’t enjoy work or putting our hand to a task of some kind. We were created to enjoy working, so it’s natural that our thoughts would immediately, upon coming to Christ, look for what our work for God must be. The verse in John tells us that we must believe. Our work is to believe God.
Jesus modeled for us while He was on earth the kind of life we should live; a life of obedience to the Father. In that way, our work would be to ask, listen and obey. Have you ever tried that approach to serving God? I have and it’s both freeing and exciting!
What if the body of Christ, as a whole, took this concept of belief to heart? I believeour combined dependence upon God would affect our nation, making it great. If it is godliness that makes a nation great, what exactly is godliness? Let’s look it up!
Godliness = sedaqa (tsed-aw-kaw) = righteousness in government, in a cause or case, truthfulness, salvation, prosperity of people, righteous acts.
I’ve been saying lately that if the church had been aware of her voice, power and influence, the world would look very different right now. Instead of corruption and evil all around us, righteousness would be flourishing. Evil will be present until the New Age of the Kingdom, but we are not meant to allow evil to overflow and rule. We are meant to be the influencers in our culture.
The fact that we’ve allowed abortion to stand, along with many other issues that are contrary to scripture, ought not be. Maybe we’ve felt powerless. Maybe we’ve been asleep. Maybe we’ve abdicated our responsibility. Whatever the reason, there is still time for the church to believe God and rise up in the authority He has given.
And I believe that is happening! I’ve listened to many who are standing strong in prayer and faith, unwilling to yield to the evil around us. I believe the tide is turning, and I believe the LORD is planning to come with a visitation of His Spirit upon the earth.
I want to be prepared to house Him when He comes. I want to be awake and aware. I want to believe. That is my work. I choose to believe You, LORD. Will you believe with me?
