| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Knowing God” Our Bible verse for today: “Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (CSB) Our thought for today: “God draws us to Himself through Jesus” What is it about Jesus that’s so attractive and compelling? What is it about Him that has fascinated the world for almost two thousand years, has made Him the most celebrated figure in human history, and has drawn literally billions of people to place their faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins and to then follow Him through life as one of His disciples? The thing about Jesus that makes Him so irresistible is actually the result of a fascinating cooperative effort involving all three members of the Trinity. God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit work together to draw people to the Father through Jesus. The truth of this is woven like a thread throughout Scripture. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon wrote, “He has set eternity in the hearts of man.” In other words, God created us with an innate understanding that there is more than just this life. Deep in our hearts we just know there must be a God, and we yearn to know Him. This is why every civilization has had a belief in the supernatural and they have always had a god or gods that they worshipped. Belief in God and a deep desire to know Him is implanted in our DNA! This causes people to go through life yearning and seeking and searching for God. So, the reason we seek God in the first place is because He created us to want to know Him. It’s the Father who draws us to Himself and He does it through Jesus. Jesus explained this further in John 12:32 when He said, “As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” Because every person was created by God with a sense of eternity in their hearts, that causes them to sense being drawn to God. The Greek word being used here means to pull, to attract. The Father does that through Jesus, and as Jesus Himself said in John 12:32, that drawing is directed to “all” people. Multiple passages in the New Testament remind us that it’s God’s will that none be lost. He is drawing all people to Himself through Christ. Finally, it’s then the job of the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of people, pointing them to Jesus so they can come to the Father. “When he comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.” (John 16:8). There’s a strong spiritual force at work drawing people to the Father. It’s a divine cooperative effort and it’s part of His grand design. Think about how much He must love you to go to such great lengths to bring you to Himself. But this then brings us to questions about the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. If it’s God’s desire for everyone to be saved, why doesn’t He just save us all? We’ll discuss this tomorrow. For now, just spend some time thinking about how much He must love you to work so hard to draw you to Himself. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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