” When the news of
the Savior's birth was told in Jerusalem, it should have caused every heart to
beat for joy, to see the blessed Messiah fill the hope of every generation. But
just the opposite was true-- Christ's coming alarmed these men as if an enemy,
not a Savior, had arrived.
But, one might
reason, even though men faltered at accepting Christ's lowly birth and
parentage, surely they would worship Him when the rays of His divinity started
shining through all the miracles and wonders that followed this Man. When His
own lips showed His authority and told the joyful message He brought from the
Father, would they not thirstily drink in the salvation preached to them? No,
they persisted in cursed unbelief and obstinate rejection of the Christ.
Although the
Scripture, which the Jews seemed to adore, so fully testified for Christ that
it accused them to their own consciences, they still refused Jesus. Christ
warned, "Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life:
and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might
have life" John 5:39-40. They did want life, but chose to lose it rather
than come to Him for it.
Has the world changed much since then? Does Christ in His Gospel meet
with any kinder welcome today? The invitation He offers is still the same:
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest" Matthew 28:11. The worst that
Christ does to those who come to Him is to put them into a place of life and
salvation; yet thousands somehow expect to hear better news from the world and
relegate the Gospel to a foreign language, which does not concern them, at
least for the present. They like to keep the Gospel at a comfortable distance,
assuming there will be time enough to take care of it when they are about to
enter the next world.”
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete
Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell.
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