We’ve been concerned about a new friend who has been coming along to church recently, with his wife who is a devout Christian. He doesn’t appear to be anti the messages he is hearing from the pulpit, but neither is he altogether accepting of them. Perhaps you know some folk who are like that.
He says he just cannot see how God is, Who He is! He says he will do something about it one day, but we wonder if he really wants to! After all, God has said in His Word, “Those who seek Me SHALL find Me”.
It reminds me of another man we knew many years ago. He had been going to the
Sunday evening services where the gospel was preached clearly every Sunday night. But after a period of time, he started to make excuses, and eventually stopped going altogether. But the Lord had not quite finished with him. One night he had a vivid dream that troubled him greatly. He went to his uncle who knew him well, and said, “You know Unc, I had a dream the other night. I dreamt that I was in an open place, and that God was in Heaven above me. Then I saw a great big black curtain come down between me and Him, and I know now that I couldn’t come to Him even if I wanted to”. What a tragic state of affairs! He had been convicted so many times, and kept putting off doing anything about God’s invitation, until now he had passed the point of no return. Shortly after that, he passed away with his daughter by his side. Her comment was, “I never want to see another person die….the expression on Dad’s face as he went, was terrible!”
We have the case in the Bible of the story of Moses telling the king of Egypt to let the people of Israel leave the land. At first we read that the king “hardened his heart” and refused to let the people go, but after a few times of this request being made, then we read that the Lord “hardened his heart”. So it was in the case of this man we knew….he had put off the strivings of God with him for so long, that then it had no effect on him. He knew it too, and that dream just confirmed it to him.
So we continue to pray for our new friend, that he will not do the same thing until it is too late, and he has no desire to come to church any more. So it is with those who may read this post…..if there is something you need to put right or some confession of sin that needs to be done, do NOT put it off. The desire to do so may leave you, and you will be the worse off for it in the long run!