“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”.      John 15:16

This verse, when read and meditated on, is a terrible shock to many Christians. It is in no way passive in the demands for our response to it, though for some who lack insight, it might seem so.

No person comes to faith in Christ through their own efforts, whether those efforts are imagined belief, or good works that we think we do.

“Salvation is of the Lord…”      Jonah 2:9

This was true in Jonah’s day and the same in our day. Without the work of the Holy Spirit in our minds and souls, we will never comes to God. No matter how positively God is presented, we will never bow the knee to Him. We hear about the sacrifice Jesus our Saviour made for us, and we don’t want it.

“We will not have this man to reign over us..”     Luke 19:14

We think we hang on to some freedom to live our lives for ourselves and make our own choices, but we are caught in a web of sins that we cannot escape from. We think God will be pleased with us if we make an effort to be good, not realising how sinful we really are. God is holy, not mostly holy, but He will not look on sin at all. We do not see the sin in our lives, unless God points it out to us.

We turn from Him who holds our total forgiveness and a life with Him beyond our imaginings. Our minds are dull and we do not see His working in our lives, to bring us to faith. We think faith us something we can whoop up and fool God that we are for Him. We believe certain things about God, but then, so does the devil.

Unless God permits us to see and feel our sin, and understand what Jesus has done for us, we will not believe. We cannot see our need nor the amazing life God offers to us, because we rely on ourselves. We think we are good enough for God and we can help ourselves. This belief is not based on truth, but is the act of a human will trapped in a sinful mindset. To carry on in this way will lead us to destruction.

To be delivered from this state, we must pray that God will show us our need and allow us to see Him in all His love and beauty. When we understand what Jesus did for us, let us lay down our puny weapons and cast ourselves on Him. There will be a complete change in our inner selves, which will show itself in fruit for God. Whatever we do in His mighty name will bring great blessing. Whatever we ask for, we will receive, for we will ask rightly.

A Christian says goodbye to self and sin and enters the peace of God and the victory over all that troubles our souls..