The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are foolishness to him… —1 Corinthians 2:14
“The gospel of God creates the sense of need for the gospel.
Is the gospel hidden to those who are servants already? No, Paul said, “But
even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose
minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe…” (2 Corinthians
4:3-4). The majority of people think of themselves as being completely moral,
and have no sense of need for the gospel. It is God who creates this sense of
need in a human being, but that person remains totally unaware of his need
until God makes Himself evident. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to
you…” (Matthew 7:7). But God cannot give until a man asks. It is not that He
wants to withhold something from us, but that is the plan He has established
for the way of redemption. Through our asking, God puts His process in motion,
creating something in us that was nonexistent until we asked. […] The creative
power of the redemption of God works in the souls of men only through the
preaching of the gospel. It is never the sharing of personal experiences that
saves people, but the truth of redemption. “The words that I speak to you are
spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).” CHAMBERS
Have you ever considered the millions, billions of people
that have lived and died without ever hearing the Gospel? Generation after
generation. Have you ever wondered why? I
have. I have heard explanations, but I
must be honest, I don’t have an answer.
I am certain it has something to do with God’s knowing and our not
knowing. I know He sends people to
preach the Gospel, I have been called and have gone to other people. I know that Jesus is the only way to
restoration to the Father. It is not
only the natural man that lacks understanding.
In a way, it is me saying “Lord, you made a mistake. You should have made certain that those
people would hear the Gospel like I did.”
As I write those words, I know how ridiculous they sound. The problem really is my problem, not
His. I want God to be understandable to
the natural mind. And He is not. The truth is that He did not have to send His
Son to save anyone, but He did. Through
a chain of events over centuries, I heard the Gospel and yielded my life to Him
in faith. So, rather than focus on those
who didn’t hear, I should focus on those who might hear if only I would speak
to them. I was not saved until the first
quarter of my life had already past. Now
I am in the last quarter. How will I
live my days out? I will live them out by
telling who I can, when I can, where I can about Jesus. And trusting God will do the rest. God has the centuries and generations well in
hand, I just need to be worried about today. ELGIN
When It’s All Been
Said And Done – Don Moen
When it's all been said and done There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to
live for truth? Did I live my life for
you?
When it's all been
said and done All my treasures will mean
nothing
Only what I've done For love's reward Will stand the test of time
Lord, your mercy is
so great That you look beyond our
weakness
And find purest gold
in miry clay Turning sinners into saints
I will always sing
your praise Here on earth and ever after
For you've shown me
heavens my true home When it's all been
said and done
You're my life when
life is gone...
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