"But His joy is in those who reverence Him, those who expect Him to be loving and kind" (Psalm 147:11).
Can you imagine an intelligent person saying no to Christ if he fully understood how much God loves him and if he realized that when he receives Christ his sins are all forgiven and he is given eternal life together with new meaning and purpose for his present life?
The non-believer who does not know all these things continues to live in disobedience, rejecting God's love and forgiveness. Why? Simply because he does not understand; he lacks information.
It is difficult to imagine a person saying no to such a wonderful life of challenge and adventure with the risen Christ if that person knows all the facts about who Christ is and why He came to this world. It is the same with the Christian who is living in spiritual poverty. He often continues to live a frustrated, fruitless life, simply because he just does not understand who the Holy Spirit is and what the supernatural life is all about. But lack of knowledge is not the only obstacle to enjoying the supernatural life.
Pride: Pride, which is an exaltation of self instead of God, is the root cause of all sin. This defeating aspect of our human nature has kept many Christians from living supernaturally. Pride is not the same as a God-given healthy love and acceptance of oneself.
Fear of man: Peer pressure keeps many Christians from living the supernatural life. "The fear of man brings a snare" (Proverbs 29:25, NAS).
Many are afraid to be different, or are ashamed to witness for Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us. "But His joy is in those who reverence Him, those who expect Him to be loving and kind."
TODAY'S ACTION POINT: I will claim the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to overcome pride and fear of man, I will reverence the Lord and expect Him to be loving and kind as He promised.
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