My first recollection of something coming to me was early in my life. I was 6 and we had a dog named Sport. At first, I would have to chase him down to get to hold him. He was an undisciplined puppy and did not understand any commands. After a few days when I would call him, he would come to me. We would play and I would hold him, pet him, and generally love him. When he came to live with me, he was not hunting a master, he was just there. Now he realized he was mine and at this point he chose me. When I opened the door, he was waiting for me.
As sinful humans, we are constantly seeking our way. We are much like my dog who romped and played without me when we first brought him to our home. I loved my dog, but he had yet to understand the love I had for him. In I John 4:10, we see God loving us and making provisions for us to come to Him, but we were not seeking Him. In Isaiah 53:6 God compares us to sheep. We have gone astray, going our own way, doing our own thing. We had no shepherd and we wandered in the manner of sheep without a shepherd.
I John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
While we were in our sinful state without God, seeking our own way, God made provision for us to come to Him. Romans 5:8 tells us God commendeth, which means He demonstrated, His love for us by giving His sinless Son to die for us. He is the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means to appease or turn away. Jesus satisfied the wrath of God against sin when He died for our sins.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
While God made provision for our forgiveness, we must understand that we do not control when God will seek us. In John 6:44 we learn that we cannot come to God unless God draws us to Him. God wants everyone to accept His Son as their personal Savior, but it is not on our terms but God’s. The self-righteous person says, “I will get saved whenever I want to.” He believes he can live the way he wants to and when he is through living a frivolous selfish life he will accept Jesus as his Savior. This is not what scripture teaches. We can only accept Him when the Holy Spirit convicts and draws us.
John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 12:32-33 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
God desires that all would be saved. He made it possible through the death of His Son, but it is still our choice to refuse or accept. He draws us to Him and seeks us, but we must be the ones to decide to accept or reject Him. In I Timothy 2:1-3, we see the Christian’s responsibility in the plan of salvation. We are to pray for the salvation of others. This is good and pleasing to God. In verse 4 it is His desire for all to be saved. Because of His desire for all to come to Him in repentance, II Peter 3:9 teaches us that He is patient toward us giving us an opportunity to follow Him and to understand salvation.
I Timothy 2:1-4 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
As patient as God is and as loving and gracious as He is, He will not wait forever for us to accept Him. In Genesis 6:3 God said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever.” He won’t wait endlessly for us to repent. The time to accept Him is now while He is dealing with your heart. The time to come to Him is when He is showing His love to you by patiently drawing you to Him. No one knows the time of their death. Jesus said these words in Luke 13:3 “I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Just like my puppy, we too have a choice to accept the love offered to us and the provisions that love will bring, or we can reject it. We can accept Jesus as our Lord, which means Master, or we can continue to do our own thing. He comes to us and gently seeks us. He stands at the door and knocks but we must open it and let Him in.
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
I am so thankful for the day He came to me. He knocked on my door and I opened it and let Him come in. I am thankful that as He abides in my heart He is continuing to love me and teach me through His word.
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