"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1
In the above scripture, David did not just say he waited, but that he waited patiently. The implication of this is that the Christian race is not a sprint but a marathon. The journey to Heaven is not something you do in just a day, but rather what may take a whole lifetime. Due to the emphasis placed on the gospel of the return of Jesus Christ, some people believed He would come the very next day or week after they received Him into their hearts. When my friends and I were newly converted, we thought so too. In fact, I had to encourage one of my friends to continue with his studies because he felt since Jesus was coming at any moment, it was pointless going to school. Similarly, in those days, we were taught that there were three steps in Christianity – salvation, sanctification and Holy Ghost baptism. We felt then that once you had experienced those three, you have arrived. But probably because of my training in applied mathematics, I began to do my personal research to verify if there were only three steps; and I discovered seven.

According to Ezekiel 36:24-27, the first thing God said He would do even before salvation is to gather His own together. Ezekiel 36:24 says:
“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.”
This is what Jesus meant when He said in John 6:44:
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Before you are saved, you are first drawn. No one can be saved except he or she is drawn by the Father. This tells us that salvation is not at your own instance but at God’s instance. Also, God has already taken steps ahead of you before you respond. He is the One initiating it and not you. This is why when people say they have found Jesus, they are not speaking the truth. He was never lost. Rather, He is the One who was searching for them until He found them. God uses everything at His disposal to draw men to Himself. He used the burning bush to draw Moses. He used a blinding light to draw Saul. He used the miracle of net-breaking catch of fish to draw Peter. He is also drawing you today even through this medium. Have you accepted Him?

Memorise:
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:44

Read:
John 6:43-45

Bible in one year:
Numbers 18:1-20:9
Psalm 145:1-13

Key point:
The Father not only draws you to salvation but continues to pull you closer. How close are you to God?

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Culled from Open Heavens daily devotional for July 2, 2014 by Pastor E.A Adeboye.
Visit www.dailydevotionalsonline.com everyday to read a daily devotional.

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