17 NOV 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional
“Then he asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.” Matthew 16: 15-17
I like to watch clips on social media of people sharing their faith and having spiritual conversations with people who are either from different faiths or no faith backgrounds. It is interesting how these conversations go and can be a great resource in understanding how people think. Part of the goal of these conversations is to help people discover God within the Scriptures. Some are trying to debate a person into the faith or try to convince them.
But this is not the way it works. People only come to faith if the Lord makes it happen, period. No one has ever been argued into the faith. It is the Lord who initiates the relationship, not the person. People who claim that they need more evidence, a sign, a miracle, or fill-in-the-blank to believe, are not ready or prepared to receive Jesus. They are still dead in their sins and unable to respond to the gospel.
What do you do? Always share the gospel and present the law. The law exposes the heart by shining light on their sin. People always view themselves as better than they are. That is why a criminal, liar, thief, or greedy person will tell you they are still good despite the evidence. The law reveals your need for a savior and the gospel is the cure. When Jesus asks his disciples, ‘Who do you say I am?’, it reveals their heart and if it has been changed.
Jesus tells Peter and the others, that it was not on their own accord or by other people that they have come to believe in who Jesus is, but it was the Father himself that did the revealing and enabled them to believe. When we have discovered who Jesus is, our response will be correct and so will our submission to Him. So, keep sharing the gospel because God is always opening the hearts of people.
Who do you say that Jesus is?
Reading Plan: Psalm 88; Proverbs 17; Rev. 19:11-16; Matt. 16:13-20
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