When God Says …
“Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?” (John 6:60-62 KJV)
The Lord's declarations of truths raised the bar of entry to heaven higher, hard to understand and accept in the physical perspective of man. Hearing it is even made harder for some, let alone to follow by human effort. Maybe one would ask: why make it difficult? We should realize that ways made easy lead to destruction and death. Truth be told: “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT). Hence, looking for the easy way, many are deceived by the trappings of religion and the world.
Yes, these passages reveal that many failed to get hold of the truths the Lord declared. That's part of the winnowing process of God, ensuring that those who truly seek His Kingdom can enter unblemished by contagion of deception. As we can see through these verses many disciples who have followed and heard Him, turned away because of these hard truths laid before them. These signify that not all are truly learning and following in truth. There are many who follow for ulterior and selfish motives. Many cling to the comfort of their religious and worldly boxes, not willing to get out of it even as it leads them to a destructive end. The momentary box of comfort provided by the enemy of our soul, hinders many to move out into the best things in life - things of heaven and the supernatural, through grace by faith in Christ Jesus.
As these passages reveal many were offended by the truths revealed. Hinting of the upcoming event of His ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ asked the disciples what if they see Him ascend to heaven? That is the truth still to come raising the bar to the climax of His mission for our salvation. The reality is, spiritual things offend a person's physical nature. Our carnal and spiritual natures are at war within us. We needed grace to depend on by faith in Jesus. Scriptures say: “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17 ESV)
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
(When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.)
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment