WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18
Hosea 11:1-4
LUKE 14:16-23

“I hate vain thoughts…”

THE SPIRIT DRAWING

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him…” (John 6:44). This statement of divine truth is profound and humbling. Some Christian workers who have more zeal than knowledge will object thus: “If that were true, then you are insulting our intelligence. If people are unable to accept Christ by an act of their free will, then evangelism is a waste of time and effort!”

But God’s Word is true, let every man be a liar! None will ever be drawn to Christ, whether by preaching or persuasion, except there first be the working of the Holy Spirit to open the sinner’s heart to receive the message. So, while we must preach and persuade, let us put our confidence in the Spirit’s power, not in our prowess! No sinner ever knocks at His door for mercy but that Christ has first knocked (Rev 3:20) at his heart’s door by the operation of His Spirit. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). We seek Christ because He first sought us (Luke 19:10). That is the truth.

Further, Romans 3:11 tells us, “There is none that seeketh after God.” The sad fact is: the natural man is enslaved by sin, helpless to take the first step toward God. He is bent on his own way. Not even the preaching of hell does effectively bring him to the Saviour, for he is gripped by many things which he is unwilling to forsake: his idols, the things of this world which hold first place in his affections and interests. A rich man once said to the preacher: “If I become a Christian can I smoke and drink?” (he did not ask about other and worse vices which he enjoyed). He was not drawn by the Spirit.

So, men reject the Saviour. They have their excuses, but in their hearts they love their idols and the world. But God’s Spirit perseveres against all. As in the story of the Great Supper, He goes out of His way to “compel,” to win souls to Christ. So we preach and persuade, relying on the Holy Spirit to draw men to the Saviour “with bands of love” (Hosea 11:4).

THOUGHT: “Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, To the cross where Thou hast died.”
PRAYER: Help me, Lord, never to give up sharing the gospel.