Oct 2 Devotion: Don't Drown

John 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

         In Exodus 32, the LORD tells Moses in verse nine, “And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:” They were stubborn and set in their opinions. They were convinced they were right. That is what Jesus is saying to the Pharisees in John 9. You are convinced you are right. You think you can see clearly, and that your religious beliefs are aligned with God. But Jesus is telling them they are blind to the truth. They can’t see beyond their own sin and pride.

         It is difficult to help someone that does not think they need help. I have heard many times that the first thing a lost man needs to know so that he can be saved is that he is lost. His thought process is, if I do not belief I am lost, then why would I need a Savior? The illustration has been given that a drowning man feels he has no need of a lifesaver ring being thrown out to him if he doesn’t think he is drowning. If you refuse help, then your problem will overcome you.

         Acknowledgement is a powerful tool when it comes to deliverance. Acknowledgement is the recognition of the existence or truth of something. Reality is real whether it is acknowledged or not, but ignoring it will bring consequences. You’ll never think about fixing something that you don’t believe is broken. So, there must be the realization that there is a problem. That problem is sin. Jesus tells the Pharisees that you must understand that you are blind to the truth before you will be given the ability to see.

         I have observed that this acknowledgement is a divine gift. God must show you (convict you) of your condition. He must roll back the curtain to expose what you are hiding. We doggedly hold on to our opinions if we’re not shown by God that we are separated from him by sin. We remain blind to the truth without his intervention. Salvation is of the Lord. How wonderful to know that it is not God’s will that any should perish. (It is so sad that many refuse to hear.) Don’t let that be you. Please, listen to the call from God’s word to repentance (which is acknowledgement and turning). Take hold of the lifesaver ring of salvation that God has thrown your way. Jesus Christ is your only hope.

In Christ’s Service,

Bro. Adrian Moore

2 Cor. 4:5