Each follower of Christ has a unique story to tell about how they came into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. For some it came through a traumatic experience, or through aching loneliness or sorrow, or through the pressures of the guilt of sins, or through the loving actions of others. However you have come to be a follower of Christ, with the mind and heart yearning to know Him better and a desire to walk closely with Him – it is your unique story. I would encourage you to share with others how God’s grace brought you to Jesus as your personal Savior. You and I may not know how God will use our unique experiences to draw other people to Christ Jesus, but we are to share ourselves and how God has worked in our lives. After all is said and done, it isn’t that you first chose Jesus…you came to that relationship because God the Father drew you. Your salvation and mine is absolutely dependent on God and God alone. Astounding isn’t it? We think we chose Jesus as our Savior when in reality it was God the Father Who chose us!
(NASB) John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
***Can anyone have a personal relationship with Jesus on their own desire and/or merit? Scripture gives a resounding “No!”
On what then is anyone’s salvation dependent? Salvation, for anyone is dependent on God the Father drawing them to desire the Lord Jesus Christ.
No other religion, no other gods, does this! So many religions are based on fear: the fear of death, the fear of rejection, the fear of not doing enough, or even the fear of life (as hard as that is to think about from the perspective of Christians who base their faith in the living God of the Bible!).
Who is to receive all the credit, all the praise, all the glory for anyone to become a true follower of Jesus Christ?
You and I cannot take any credit for seeking the peace, the forgiveness that only Jesus Christ can give.
You and I cannot take any credit for knowing that we are sinners who need a Savior.
God the Father gets all the credit – He is to receive all the glory for the grace that has drawn you and me to Christ Jesus.
It is God’s grace, His divine help, His abundant favor that has been extended to you and to me. Have you received it? If not, now is the time to talk with the Father through the name of God the Son Who is the Lord Jesus Christ. For He is drawing you to Himself…”˜Come to Me’ says Jesus.
After you and I have been drawn by the Father to know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, what can we now know? The promise that Jesus Himself gave, “I will raise him up on the last day.”
The hope of all followers of Christ is a living and sure hope…on the last day Jesus Himself will raise us up.
