To See A Miracle
You know, I was thinking. While Jesus was on this earth he spent a lot of time doing miracles and teaching. Many people witnessed thos miracles and were convicted. They believed that He was truly the Son of God! I have often wondered what it would be like to see that kind of thing today. I KNOW that God has the power to perform miracles today and he does use earthly vessels to exercise his will. Now speaking from a very personal point of view I have to say that I haven't seen a miracle like those that I have read about in Luke 7. I believe that God is very open and willing to do these things but I haven't seen the blind restored, the deaf ears opened, the lame walk or the dead raised. Because of that I must admit that I have asked God why these miracles don't take place today. I haven't received a direct answer yet but I did get a little insight this morning. Jesus, who was God in the flesh, did miracles very publically and openly. When all was said and done, those who witnessed these miracles were probably in the crowd on the day they yelled "Crucify Him..." Then it dawned on me. Miracles don't bring people to repentance, love does! Miracles test and prove out those things of God, but only love (the love of Jesus) can save a soul. Now, I am still going to be looking for God's hand in the live of people today and I will still pray that God will do miracles like he did when He walked this earth. But I pray even harder that the love of God will work in me and through me in order that people might come to repentance and get to know HIM! Be blessed beyond belief today.
posted by Doug E. Pudge @ 7:51 AM
2 Comments:
Those who witnessed these miracles may have very well been in the crowd at our Lord's crucifiction. But I would find it hard to believe that the Centurian, the mother, the sinful woman or those baptized by John called out for it. I think it also makes a strong statement about the kind of faith we should strive for. The kind that no one in all of Israel displayed. Oh for the faith in love for the Lord of a child!!!IDYBT...
You want to talk about repentence!!! I was hit with a veritable Holy 6 x 8 steel beam this am and thought I would share it with you...
December 7
Repentance
http://www.rbc.org/utmost/
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . .
—2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8 ). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . ." ( Psalm 51:4 ). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, "I have sinned." The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable "goodness." Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19 ). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for "the gift of tears." If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
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