What Does God Want Us To Do?

Jesus told them, "This is what God wants you to do: Believe in the one He has sent." (John 6:29)

It really is as simple as that. It struck me that if we don't do that one basic thing before we do anything else, we can never please God. Anything else we may wish to do in His service won't count for anything if we don't believe in His Son. Why is this?

"I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst. But you haven't believe in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them...And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the last day." (John 6: 35-37, 39)

We try to complicate things and think that God is asking us to do all these grand things, such as missionary work in Africa or the middle east, when really, all He wants us to do is believe. If we believe, then hopefully we will follow his leading. Some of us will be called out to the mission fields. (Although I think there may be more mission work to do in the U.S. and the Western countries than in Africa!) Some of us will be called to encourage others; some will be called to care for others, some to teach others. However, none of that matters if we don't take the first step. He wants us to spend our energy seeking the eternal life that He can give us (John 6:27).