Psalm 25:12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

If you do not fear and respect God, how can you be His disciple? It seems that many people today use God’s name without any real measure of fear and respect for Him. They may say they love Him, but their actions say otherwise. Some people seek God’s guidance in major decisions, but since they have ignored Him for many of the issues of daily life, they are unable to hear what He says to them. Americans in particular seem quick to express verbal respect for God without living as though they believe there are any consequences to ignoring Him. Discipleship is thought of as something for “super Christians,” instead of being the standard to which God calls every human being on the face of this planet. The question is not whether God loves us enough to want us to be His disciples, it’s whether we love and respect Him enough to choose to accept His invitation. The message tomorrow is on the rewards of discipleship, and there are so many that I’ll only be able to scratch the surface, but people are so blinded by their self-centered desires and lusts that they can’t see them.

I’ve had to struggle with my own spiritual blindness, but as a pastor, dealing with spiritual blindness seems to be the whole of my life! As a song says, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” My job is to help people open their eyes so that they may see God, see themselves, and see others. People wander around in dead-end lives, not recognizing that God has chosen eternity for them. As this verse says, they have to fear God enough to respect and love Him in order to hear and receive the message of Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I am to pray for them and be lovingly persistent in presenting the truth to them, so that when they choose to open their eyes, the riches of God’s grace will be right there.

Father, I could make quite a list of people who have stubbornly kept their eyes shut, but You know who they are far better than I do. Two with the same family name are equally in danger, but they have totally different excuses for not receiving. I ask Your grace and mercy for each of them. Many, many more come to mind. I ask You to pour Your Spirit out on this city, this nation, to bring repentance and faith. Whatever any person’s excuse might be, it comes down to a choice not to believe and submit to You. Have mercy on them, Lord, so that they may fear You enough to see the way of life that You have chosen for them. Thank You. Hallelujah!