Wednesday 22nd January 2020 Devotion
Scripture:- John 11
Topic:- 12 Reasons Why People Didn’t Believe And Accept Jesus Christ [2]
Text:- John 5:40
8. Deceived and Satisfied:
Some do not come to the Lord because, due to false teaching, they have concluded that they are already associated with Him. There is something we can learn from this case: not everyone who claims connection with Jesus Christ actually enjoys such a union. See 19:13.
Under the Mosaic system, a person was physically born into a covenant relationship with Jehovah. As a result, they had to be taught to know the Lord after their birth into that covenant relationship. But under the New Testament economy, it is different. See Jeremiah 31:31, 34; John 6:45; Galatians 1:6-8.
It is the sacred responsibility of every child of God to show the distinction between truth and error, to draw the line between primitive Christianity and modern sectarianism, and to call others back to the Bible.
And some of our preachers have ceased to proclaim this distinctive message and are assuming postures that will lead our people into destructive apostasy.
9. Uncommitted:
Some will not come to Jesus because they are unwilling to pay the price He requires.
If you would follow Christ, you must be willing to forsake all that is in conflict with Heaven’s requirements. A person must be willing to deny himself, take up the cross daily, and follow His Lord. See Luke 9:23.
The Savior urged men to count the cost before assuming the role of discipleship, and he who is not willing to renounce any obstacle to the faith cannot be a follower of Christ. See Matthew 19:16-22. Luke 14:25-35.
For some. forsaking worldliness is too great of a demand for discipleship. Others cannot afford the time. And so they trade the few moments of time for eternity. The excuses are many; the result is the same. Other priorities crowd out the Christ. See 2 Timothy 4:10.
10. Afraid:
Some will not come to the Lord because they fear failure. We have heard the excuse many times: “I would become a Christian. But I know I just couldn’t hold out.”
Do you not realize that when you turn to Christ, God that you are but a babe in the faith? Don’t we understand that Heaven is sympathetic of human frailty? Hasn’t Jesus promised to be with us “all the days.” Yes, we will make mistakes, and frequently. But we will repent of those things and learn to grow in spite of our blunders. See Matthew 28:20.
What if one reasoned: “I will not marry because so many marriages end in divorce”? Surely that would be unsound thinking. What if the farmer argued: “I will not plant, for there was a crop failure in ’42”? He would go hungry!
Don’t fear failure. Do your best to serve your God. And promise yourself to be progressively learning and responding to the truth.
11. The Hypocrites:
Some do not come to the Christ because of what they see in professed Christians. Listen, no one will be excused for his own disobedience in the day of judgment because he was influenced by someone else’s sorry example. Each person is responsible for his own activity. Be that as it may, it is a fact that cannot be denied — some of the Lord’s own people are his worst enemies. By their coarse and wretched lives, they drive away many from the truth even before they have opportunity to know the gospel. See 2 Corinthians 5:10
12. Moral Inferity Complex:
In some places, the morals of members of the Church are far inferior to those of false religionists. And in most areas, corrective discipline in the Church is a totally unknown practice. Surely Jehovah will not hold us unaccountable for such deliberate neglect. Yes, there are many “excuses” why men reject Christ, but there are no reasons.
Prayer Point:- Oh Lord God, heal my understanding and let me accept You and love You more than before henceforth by fire, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Have A Glorious Mid-Week!