Respond to Grace

Scripture/Bible:  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." John 6:44-51

Reflection:  Jesus says; “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

We know that there are many in this world that are not drawn to Jesus or are no followers of him. Is God partial when he draws them to Jesus?  Is he selective in who should be drawn to Jesus and who not?

It would have been better to leave this question to God to handle and it should not matter to us. It is like this: There are some things in life about other people which we shouldn’t be worried about. It is better to mind one’s business than to be worried about trivial matters which doesn’t concern us.  Similarly, it would have been better for us not to worry about whom the Father draws and why and thus not trust in his Justice.

Yet, for the sake of those who would still judge God and create a doubt in one’s heart and others concerning the righteous action of God, I will dwell in a glimpse, concerning his action while drawing people to himself.  

In the world of advertisement it would be foolish for a company to be over greedy and seek to draw everyone to their brand.  This is so because each one will have their own tastes, needs and capacities. Though all may see the advertisement, yet not all may go for that brand.  Some may even know that it is the only brand that is the best yet they may not all chose that brand depending on various factors. Forget the brand; some may not even want to look at the advertisement even though it may be in full view for them.

Similarly, God’s grace is constantly at work seeking to save them in his Son Jesus as Savior of the world, yet not all men may have opened themselves to receive this grace.  Hence in some instances it may never reach the hearts of men, even though God may want to draw them. Then there are some where Grace may enter the heart but since it does not meet with the will it is not effective. In other situations it enters the heart, works with the will but the fears, worries and anxieties of this world prevents them from committing their hearts to God.

Finally, we have those who respond whole heartedly to his grace, with a honest and sincere heart. 

These are the 4 broad categories, with various sub variations of this action of grace, which Jesus to some extent brings out in the parable of the sower and the seed. (Mt. 13:3-12, Mk. 4:3-20, Lk. 8:5-15)

Prayer: Lord, help me to have a honest and good heart that is open to receive your grace, so that with all patience and endurance I may produce fruit for you with your grace. (cfr. 8: 15)

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