We may not realize it, but we've been touched by the grace of God, through the ministry of the Spirit: convicting, admonishing, and edifying our spirit. No one can find the way by himself but must have the eyes of his spirit opened to acknowledge the truth and see the light. We all are capable of experiencing God and finding out that the Lord is good on our own, as it is written: "Taste and see that the LORD is good," in Psalm 34:8.
No one remains the same after experiencing God and getting to know Him, some people are hardened due to their rejection, and some are healed because of their faith (which is a gift of God, but He expects us to use it!). As they say, "The same sun melts the butter, hardens the clay."
No one has the same experience in Christ as you do, and you cannot expect others to share your personal relationship. We are all individuals with Christ and we all matter; there is no elite or super-Christian that gets a better deal or privileged status. God levels the playing field! For God is no respecter of persons, shows no favoritism, and God is not partial (cf. Rom. 2:11; Acts 10:34). When we come to God in faith, we are free to come as we are, but we will not remain that way, for it is a transforming experience, to be touched by God.
No one has the same experience in Christ as you do, and you cannot expect others to share your personal relationship. We are all individuals with Christ and we all matter; there is no elite or super-Christian that gets a better deal or privileged status. God levels the playing field! For God is no respecter of persons, shows no favoritism, and God is not partial (cf. Rom. 2:11; Acts 10:34). When we come to God in faith, we are free to come as we are, but we will not remain that way, for it is a transforming experience, to be touched by God.
The point is that all must come to God on the same basis and from the same point--as unworthy, in need of grace. We are all unclean and are made clean by the washing of the Spirit (cf. Tit. 3:5). We are all in the same boat as to our qualification for grace and God's grace reaches out to us and takes the initiative and calls us to Himself--He comes searching for us as the Good Shepherd.
However, God grants us the privilege of believing (cf. Phil. 1:29) and expects us to exercise this faith in reaching out to Him. The beauty of it all is that God gets personal with each one of us and doesn't treat us like a number, so to speak, but knows us by name and knows those who are his (cf. 2 Tim. 2:19). As Jesus said concerning His sheep: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27, ESV). The sheep recognize their shepherd and will not follow a stranger, for they do not recognize his voice. Sheep are comforted by the touch of their shepherd (as Psalm 23 says he anoints my head with oil), and Jesus looks after His sheep personally--even getting down and dirty with them, so to speak, because He fully relates to us and knows what we're going through. Yes, it is comforting to know that we matter to God and that He knows us and is never too busy for our needs.
We don't get saved en masse, but one-by-one, as through a turnstile. No one gets in automatically by birth, rank, position, authority, riches, power, inheritance, heritage, lineage, pedigree, etc., but must come to Christ all alone in a step of faith. Jesus has priorities, and we are at the top of them--He's never too busy to meet our needs or hear us in prayer. One noteworthy fact of having an encounter of being touched by God is that we are not to keep it a secret, we must publically acknowledge it and confess Christ before men (cf. Matt. 10:32). When we profess Christ and make Him known we confirm Him in our hearts and become established in the faith.
In sum, God knows where we are spiritually and what our needs are, and can meet us individually just as if the encounter were tailored just for us, proof He knows us! For this reason, it's so wonderful to hear people's personal testimonies as to how they got saved: "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so [tell their story]..." (Psalm 107:2, ESV). Soli Deo Gloria!
However, God grants us the privilege of believing (cf. Phil. 1:29) and expects us to exercise this faith in reaching out to Him. The beauty of it all is that God gets personal with each one of us and doesn't treat us like a number, so to speak, but knows us by name and knows those who are his (cf. 2 Tim. 2:19). As Jesus said concerning His sheep: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27, ESV). The sheep recognize their shepherd and will not follow a stranger, for they do not recognize his voice. Sheep are comforted by the touch of their shepherd (as Psalm 23 says he anoints my head with oil), and Jesus looks after His sheep personally--even getting down and dirty with them, so to speak, because He fully relates to us and knows what we're going through. Yes, it is comforting to know that we matter to God and that He knows us and is never too busy for our needs.
We don't get saved en masse, but one-by-one, as through a turnstile. No one gets in automatically by birth, rank, position, authority, riches, power, inheritance, heritage, lineage, pedigree, etc., but must come to Christ all alone in a step of faith. Jesus has priorities, and we are at the top of them--He's never too busy to meet our needs or hear us in prayer. One noteworthy fact of having an encounter of being touched by God is that we are not to keep it a secret, we must publically acknowledge it and confess Christ before men (cf. Matt. 10:32). When we profess Christ and make Him known we confirm Him in our hearts and become established in the faith.
In sum, God knows where we are spiritually and what our needs are, and can meet us individually just as if the encounter were tailored just for us, proof He knows us! For this reason, it's so wonderful to hear people's personal testimonies as to how they got saved: "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so [tell their story]..." (Psalm 107:2, ESV). Soli Deo Gloria!
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