We talk about the ease of accepting Christ, we ask how can people not believe and accept Him?
We can not understand that the simplest thing to us is so very hard for so many others.
Christ knew it was going to be difficult for so many to accept, He knew how the mysteries of God would confound the wise. He knew the lack of hard proof would make it harder to accept and understand.
Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
He knew that unless you had the faith of a child, an open sincere earnestness in searching for God you would not find Him. God defies our logic, our understanding.
Luk_18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
A little child when given a gift accepts it in wide eyed wonder, they cherish it and their pure joy is a thing to behold.
Do you remember when you accepted the free gift of God and the pure joy you had?
You had to let go of all your logic, all your pre-conceptions, and all your own capabilities and realize that Christ died for you and all you had to do was accept it.
You and I had to realize we could do nothing for ourselves, that God had done it all, God was the answer, Christ died for us.
When at first you had the full realization that a man you never knew laid down His life for you that you might have life eternal, forgiveness of sin, and peace of mind?
The mind of a child, the wonder of a child at that moment is totally necessary or else we would never do it.
For surely there is some way to earn our way: my money, or my strength, or my intellect or my good works has to be the way to get to heaven. Surely I must have to earn it?
There has to be a way other than a free gift, for who would do that for me? No one loves me like that or cares for me like that, let alone someone I never knew. Someone who died 2000 years ago could not have possibly cared that much. Nor could that actions of 2000 yrs ago still have any effect today right?
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
God does things in ways that brings the glory and honor to Him.
God wants the credit, top billing.
God has done it all for us and has made it accessible to any and all who would seek and find Him. Not only has He done it all, He also calls all men to Him. He goes out and calls for you to come to Him.
No one has ever "found" God, He has gone out and found you and called you to Him.
God does it all for you. All you have to do is believe.
Sounds easy but it isn't.
For we are told by the world He doesn't exist. We are told He didn't create all there is. We are told that Christ was a good man not God. We are told that surely God, if He does exist, is a distant being who is watching but doesn't interfere for how could He let this world be the way it is?
So the very man who made society the way it is, man who has corrupted all they have ever touched, can not understand a pure Holy and Righteous God, who died for them.
They can not accept it because they can not fathom the very idea of that kind of sacrifice, for they would never do it themselves.
The very man that questions the existence of God, that doubts that He exists, doesn't want there to be a God for then they will not be the final authority. They do not want some moral authority higher than themselves for then they must look in the mirror and see how the measure up to that higher authority.
Man can not let go of the fact that there is nothing they can do, nothing they can buy, no action they can take to gain themselves entrance into heaven.
Man in all his pride can not humble himself of his own accord and accept that they can do nothing to avail themselves of salvation.
Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
In the story of the rich man and Lazarus we have a beggar who knew God on this earth, and a rich man who knew only his own success, his own money.
There is a reason why Christ said
Mat_19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
There is nothing wrong with riches, there is nothing wrong with success.
However, we tend to rely on our money, our own strength. They get in the way of needing God.
So many have to hit rock bottom before they see their need, So many have a void and they can not find what to fill it.
The world says money buys happiness.
The world say there is happiness in substances, there is happiness in the physical, there is happiness in you just waiting to be tapped.
God says vanity vanity all is vanity.
Only when we realize that there is nothing but God that can bring the peace and joy we need. That only God can give fulfillment.
The mind of a child, the sincere earnestness of a child, the vulnerability of a child. These are necessary to enter the kingdom of God. For it is only when we let go of all we know, all we have and turn to Him totally and completely aware that we can not do it ourselves.
We can not understand that the simplest thing to us is so very hard for so many others.
Christ knew it was going to be difficult for so many to accept, He knew how the mysteries of God would confound the wise. He knew the lack of hard proof would make it harder to accept and understand.
Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
He knew that unless you had the faith of a child, an open sincere earnestness in searching for God you would not find Him. God defies our logic, our understanding.
Luk_18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
A little child when given a gift accepts it in wide eyed wonder, they cherish it and their pure joy is a thing to behold.
Do you remember when you accepted the free gift of God and the pure joy you had?
You had to let go of all your logic, all your pre-conceptions, and all your own capabilities and realize that Christ died for you and all you had to do was accept it.
You and I had to realize we could do nothing for ourselves, that God had done it all, God was the answer, Christ died for us.
When at first you had the full realization that a man you never knew laid down His life for you that you might have life eternal, forgiveness of sin, and peace of mind?
The mind of a child, the wonder of a child at that moment is totally necessary or else we would never do it.
For surely there is some way to earn our way: my money, or my strength, or my intellect or my good works has to be the way to get to heaven. Surely I must have to earn it?
There has to be a way other than a free gift, for who would do that for me? No one loves me like that or cares for me like that, let alone someone I never knew. Someone who died 2000 years ago could not have possibly cared that much. Nor could that actions of 2000 yrs ago still have any effect today right?
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
God does things in ways that brings the glory and honor to Him.
God wants the credit, top billing.
God has done it all for us and has made it accessible to any and all who would seek and find Him. Not only has He done it all, He also calls all men to Him. He goes out and calls for you to come to Him.
No one has ever "found" God, He has gone out and found you and called you to Him.
God does it all for you. All you have to do is believe.
Sounds easy but it isn't.
For we are told by the world He doesn't exist. We are told He didn't create all there is. We are told that Christ was a good man not God. We are told that surely God, if He does exist, is a distant being who is watching but doesn't interfere for how could He let this world be the way it is?
So the very man who made society the way it is, man who has corrupted all they have ever touched, can not understand a pure Holy and Righteous God, who died for them.
They can not accept it because they can not fathom the very idea of that kind of sacrifice, for they would never do it themselves.
The very man that questions the existence of God, that doubts that He exists, doesn't want there to be a God for then they will not be the final authority. They do not want some moral authority higher than themselves for then they must look in the mirror and see how the measure up to that higher authority.
Man can not let go of the fact that there is nothing they can do, nothing they can buy, no action they can take to gain themselves entrance into heaven.
Man in all his pride can not humble himself of his own accord and accept that they can do nothing to avail themselves of salvation.
Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
In the story of the rich man and Lazarus we have a beggar who knew God on this earth, and a rich man who knew only his own success, his own money.
There is a reason why Christ said
Mat_19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
There is nothing wrong with riches, there is nothing wrong with success.
However, we tend to rely on our money, our own strength. They get in the way of needing God.
So many have to hit rock bottom before they see their need, So many have a void and they can not find what to fill it.
The world says money buys happiness.
The world say there is happiness in substances, there is happiness in the physical, there is happiness in you just waiting to be tapped.
God says vanity vanity all is vanity.
Only when we realize that there is nothing but God that can bring the peace and joy we need. That only God can give fulfillment.
The mind of a child, the sincere earnestness of a child, the vulnerability of a child. These are necessary to enter the kingdom of God. For it is only when we let go of all we know, all we have and turn to Him totally and completely aware that we can not do it ourselves.
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