Day 98

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 6.

“…from them he not only withholdeth his Grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understanding, and wrought upon in their hearts;…“

Scripture Lookup

Deuteronomy 29:4

Reflection

When talking to others about Christ, have you ever been frustrated that some people just don’t get it? That what is so clear to us, is nothing but confusion to them? Ever get astonished at the hatred some express towards God?

Since our eyes have been opened to the beauty of the Gospel, we sometimes think that everyone should naturally be able to see how wonderful God is. Or we think that if we just said the right words, created the right atmosphere, gave the ideal sales pitch, then an unbeliever could be persuaded to become a Christian. We forget that it is only the work of the Holy Spirit that can enable an unbeliever to see the truths of the Gospel. He withholds his grace from those who are not His elect. Because there is no grace, they do not believe in Christ. Because there is no grace, their heart remains hardened. There is nothing we can do to make anyone a Christian.

Knowing that God withholds His grace from those who are not His should not cause us to slack in proclaiming the good news though! God knows who are not elect; we do not. Your witness may be the means of bringing a change of heart in an unbeliever! May that hope encourage you to be bold in evangelizing. But may the reality that not all will be His keep you dependent on Him for your efforts.

Questions to Consider

• Have you ever thought that someone would be saved if you just tried harder?