WEEKLY DEVOTION Why Do People Not Come To Jesus?

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

— No one likes to have his deeds exposed as evil and wrong. Rather, we would prefer to justify our actions and keep our sins and shortcomings hidden and out of sight. It is for this very reason that people do not come to Jesus, the light of the world.

To come into the presence of Jesus Christ, the holy Son of God in human flesh, is to come into the light; for Jesus lived a holy life and He teaches us what true holiness is. The light reveals our utter sinfulness and failure to measure up and keep God’s commandments, even if our failure is in the thoughts and attitudes of our heart-consider Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His many rebukes to those who were outwardly righteous in His day!

In our day, people reject Jesus and do not come to Him because they do not want to face up to the fact of their own sinfulness and shortcomings. They don’t want to hear that even their best righteousnesses are like a filthy rags in God’s eyes (cf. Isaiah 64:6). Nor do they want to repent of their evil ways and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and for His help and strength to amend their ways in accord with God’s holy Word! Thus, they stand condemned for refusing to come to Jesus, the light of the world and their only hope of salvation. Instead of coming into the light and admitting and acknowledging their utter sinfulness and turning to Jesus and His shed blood for cleansing and forgiveness, they turn away from the light and continue on in darkness!

This is why church services in which God’s Word is faithfully proclaimed are so poorly attended these days. People do not want to hear the truth! They do not want to have their sins exposed for what they are! And they do not want to repent and turn to Jesus for cleansing and a new life!

O dear Lord Jesus, the very light of the world, shine into my heart, expose my sin, and cleanse me through Your shed blood. Amen.

For The Record, Pages 4 on 11/25/2009