Come To Him

So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. [Isaiah 30.18]

If I am understanding this correctly, God cannot bestow His love and compassion except on those who "come to Him." He is bound by His own demands for our obedience and so waits for our compliance before pouring out His favor.

But what about Jesus and grace? Is not grace "unmerited favor?" I think if we will forget all our religious predispositions and look at this objectively, we will see that the grace of God through Jesus is NOT altogether unmerited! The grace of God through Jesus indeed requires something - and if that something is missing, the deal is off. That 'something' is faith. And, as I have come to understand over the last few months, faith is obedience - and obedience is faith.

God's demands for obedience have, and never will change. The methods of obedience however were changed in Christ. No longer is the blood of bulls and goats required, but blood is nonetheless still required! The blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, shed once for all time, grants passage now into God's blessings. However, there remains a responsibility of response upon each and every human being who would benefit from the blood of Christ - the response (can you say, "obedience") of faith!

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. [Hebrews 11.6]

Come to Him!

Father, help me to see my responsibility to come to You in the manner in which You require!