Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The Holy Giver

When we think of God as the Giver, we tend to consider always for the things He gave us. But, notice what Jesus pointed out in His prayer in John 17. Let's just take verses 1-2:

"... Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him" (ESV).

God the Father gave Jesus "authority over all flesh." And He gave special special people to His Son!

In John 6:44-45, Jesus said:

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophet, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me."

The chosen ones given by the Father to the Son are the people drawn by God to Jesus. They are "taught by God" -- able to read and learn the Word. And as they received the inner call of God they come or have faith in the Son.

And they received eternal life!

What mercy! What grace! What love! What blessing and honor to be given to the Son!

If God the Father did not give us to Jesus, or did not us draw us to Him, we will not come to Him. And He did not draw everyone to His Son. And not everyone will come to Him and believe to have eternal life.

Paul wrote, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before, In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:3-6).