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This is the Work of God - John 6:28-29

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  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.” John 6:28-29 Who am I in Christ? I am a believer. I believe what He says. But wait, do I? Yes, but only by His grace, for when left to my own thinking, I either think I’m a cowboy/superhero who can jump in and do God’s work, or I run away scared like a cockroach in the light. I do believe by His grace. When Paul’s jailer in the book of Acts, trembling asked, “What must I DO to be saved? Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Believe. Back to the passage from John 6 the question is different: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” But the answer is the same. Jesus answered, “This is the work of God — believe.” Believe. Belief is special. Belief is powerful. And unlike what pagan Americans say, we can’t just believe in whatever sort of power we want; we must

Dread of Danger - Proverbs 1:33

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  But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger. Proverbs 1:33 (CSB) The verse says, “Whoever listens to me…” That’s believers. That’s what believers do; they listen to God. They do that by reading the word, praying, and even waiting on the Lord. They talk to other believers. They fellowship. They listen to preachers. They read books written by people who love Jesus. They resist bad company. And listening implies obedience. Hey, everybody wrestles with obeying Jesus. Our flesh pulls us in the wrong direction. We have to purposefully walk by the Spirit, so we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. It’s a walk. But it’s a walk with sword in hand, ready to fight temptation while yielding to the Holy Spirit. This listening obedience brings blessing, on top of blessing, and more blessing. This Proverb says that these listeners will live securely. Now, we need to stop for a second and remember something about proverbs. They spotlight