Post by Don Gieseke on Apr 28, 2013 6:10:04 GMT -6
Do You Need Jesus? by Billy Graham
You will never come face to face with Christ unless you are convinced that you need Him. If you feel that you are self-sufficient, capable of meeting life head-on under your own power, then you will probably never find Him. A reading of the Gospels will reveal that Jesus did not impose Himself upon those who felt self-sufficient, righteous and self-confident.
But He went out of His way to open the eyes of blind Bartimaeus who cried, “Jesus, have mercy on me.” He was quick to give the water of life to the Samaritan woman who said, “Give me this water, that I may not thirst.” And He was instantly at the side of the sinking Peter when Peter prayed, “Lord, save me.”
There must be a recognition of your own sinfulness and spiritual need before there can be a response from Christ. He came to call not the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Many divine promises hinge on a human condition: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). “If we walk in the light … the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin … . If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7, 9).
Do You Need Jesus?
Prayer
Lord, please forgive us for thinking that we can take care of ourselves without Your help. Reveal to us our desperate need of salvation, so that we may know what it is to be Your children. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
You will never come face to face with Christ unless you are convinced that you need Him. If you feel that you are self-sufficient, capable of meeting life head-on under your own power, then you will probably never find Him. A reading of the Gospels will reveal that Jesus did not impose Himself upon those who felt self-sufficient, righteous and self-confident.
But He went out of His way to open the eyes of blind Bartimaeus who cried, “Jesus, have mercy on me.” He was quick to give the water of life to the Samaritan woman who said, “Give me this water, that I may not thirst.” And He was instantly at the side of the sinking Peter when Peter prayed, “Lord, save me.”
There must be a recognition of your own sinfulness and spiritual need before there can be a response from Christ. He came to call not the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Many divine promises hinge on a human condition: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). “If we walk in the light … the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin … . If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7, 9).
Do You Need Jesus?
Prayer
Lord, please forgive us for thinking that we can take care of ourselves without Your help. Reveal to us our desperate need of salvation, so that we may know what it is to be Your children. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.