To “believe” in Christ is to let one’s little shriveled up selfish heart be “enlarged” and “quickened” (made alive) to at least begin to “comprehend” the “breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of the love of Christ which “passes knowledge” (Psalm 119:25, 32; Eph. 3:14-21).
It’s painful, not because the Lord wants to hurt us, but because we have been “brought forth in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5, “shapen” in it, KJV), and every cell of our souls is egocentric in its being. You sit with legs crossed, your leg “goes to sleep,” you lose consciousness in it, it feels as though it is not there; then when it begins to “awake” it tingles with painful feelings. When you’re being converted, you’re being “born again” and it tingles with painful feelings; it’s always painful to be “born,” much nicer to stay snug and cozy in mother’s womb.
But your Creator and Savior says No, come out into the world and face Reality; be what you are; share life with its Author. The New Covenant gospel assures you that even though you have left the “womb,” you are still as secure in the battlefields of life as if you were still in the womb. The Lord assures you, “’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5, 6). So, now instead of cozying up in the “womb” you are living by faith. Exciting, but it’s living with Christ.
To refuse to be “born” is therefore the sin of unbelief.
God is not saying that you must DO this or DO that in order to be saved eternally; but He has to tell us, You MUST believe: “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe [1] that He is and [2] that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (11:6). Hard work, learning to believe? It will stretch every “muscle” of your soul, but it’s the beginning of eternal life.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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