THE GIFT AND THE GIVER
But he who was healed (who took up his mat and walked) did not know who it was; for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. John 5:13
The man who was miraculously healed of his thirty eight year illness did not actively seek a closer relationship with the One who healed him. He happily accepted the gift of healing but ignored the heart of the Giver. He is not the first to do that and unfortunately, he was not the last.
Evangelists must be careful. In their desire to see people saved from eternal condemnation, they can easily focus on a 'salvation that spares one from hell.' Christ is reduced to one who offers a voucher for free salvation. Afraid of eternal fire, people flock to the altar to secure their ticket to a better place. The heart of the Savior is not explored. A relationship with the One who spilled His own blood to purchase their freedom from hell is never considered.
The church is full of Christians who don't know Jesus personally and who are not hungry to build a relationship with Him through His Word. They may never choose to follow Him as a disciple. They are immature babes without a perceived need for spiritual growth. Why? There is no relationship. They did not understand that when they trusted the work of Christ on the cross, they were reborn. They are no longer a child of the devil but a newly adopted, newly born child of God. God is to be their new Father, growing them up from spiritual infancy, to toddlerhood, to adolescence, and finally to spiritual maturity.
Today, God is the One who extends His heart to His growing brood of children. He attempts to speak, to woo, to instruct. Few perceive it. They are coasting on the voucher of salvation. Mankind, usually self-centered, is relieved by his assurance of heaven but numb to the absence of relationship. The Father's heart aches, is often angry and frustrated, and stays long suffering in His attempts to catch the attention of His children. He has planned life abundant for each of us and that starts at the time of salvation, not when we step foot on heaven's shores and breathe in celestial air. To receive it, I must be living and abiding in the life-giving Vine. His life is my life.
Do I think of what You give me and ignore You? Show me where I'm still selfish. Amen
