Reality often becomes lost in our “Christianeze” terms and sayings. Too often we just repeat what someone has said and way too often our sayings get morphed into a false theology. Something repeated over and over gets engrained in our culture and it becomes a pseudo-truth of sorts.
Mediate just a while on these words of Jesus: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16 NKJV). How often we claim to have “accepted Jesus” and someone in referring to another person’s conversion will say that they “found God”. I understand what we actually mean by these sayings but the reality is; God comes to us rather than our searching for God. Even the hunger, desire, and conviction are in themselves the Spirit of God coming to us. Yesterday in my prayer time, the Lord gave me the following thoughts:
How could I say that I have accepted Jesus or chose Yahweh to be my God as if I was shopping for a deity and thought He was a great bargain. NO–the reality is this, He chose me; He came to me in my brokenness revealing His completeness and perfection. At the time of my own salvation I could not have articulated these words but in retrospect I can see Him coming to me instead of me going to Him.
How can a physically sighted man deny the rising of the natural sun? So, how could I as a created man whom God has made both physical and spiritual deny the Living God when He has been revealed to me? How could a natural man deny the wind of a hurricane? How could I deny the power of the Spirit of God when He blew across my face and soul? The lowly man of earth that I am, who is made of clay, deny the Potter who formed me and blew into my nostrils the breath of life making me into a living soul after His own image.
The question changes from, “Why did I accept Him?” to “How could I deny Him?” Yes, I had to express my faith in Him and to commit my will to Him. Seeing even a glimpse of Him, how could I not surrender and submit to Him? Now knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; how could I not follow Him, take heed to His Word, and live my life in Him? Seeing His great sacrifice on the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead, how could I not put my faith and trust in Him?
Yet, I cannot say, I chose Him! He revealed Himself to me and when the scales fell my eyes; what a fool I would have been to deny and choose not to follow the Son who came from the Father, and who sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with and in man.
MY PRAYER: “Lord, in the midst of my brokenness and sin, Your Presence was before my face drawing me to You by Your great love. It is not that I feel unworthy of Your love and grace–I am unworthy of Your love and grace yet You define Your grace as that which is given though undeserved. With Your mercy you had pity upon my wretched soul and reached out Your hand to me. You reached out Your hand as the Living God to a dying man. In faith, I only opened my dirty and clenched fist of carnality and sin to receive Your redemptive hand of grace that forgave, cleansed, and empowered me so I could follow You. I praise You and thank You, God my Creator and Father, Jesus my Savior and Lord, and Holy Spirit my Guide and Comforter for Your freely given salvation to one so undeserving as me. With thanksgiving and praise, in the Name of Jesus I pray, AMEN.
Harry L. Whitt
Pathway Journey 