Whosoever Will

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” -  1 Corinthians 6: 9-11

Our God is a God of restoration.  He is a God of hope, of perfection, of betterment.  Are we not all thankful that God does not chose us the way the world chooses us?  If a man walked into a job interview, drenched with the stench of alcohol and clothed in tattered old clothing.  Do you think he would get the job?  How many colleges do you think would admit an applicant that was illiterate?  The world does not accept, or venture to embrace what we could be, but rather what we are.  It loves those who by reason of strength, charm, or in some cases good fortune, have exalted themselves above the rest, and given all below something to envy ; or at the very least something to entertain.  God’s selection process is somewhat different, he cries “whosoever will.”

Imagine with me for a moment, if a radical Muslim, known world over for hunting and killing Christians, say Bin Ladin, if he was still alive; walked into your church Sunday morning?  What if he strolled right up to the pulpit opened the Bible and began to read Matthew 7:7 & 8?  What would you do?  Would you believe him?  Would you be terrified of him?  Do you think it can’t happen?  It has already happened; the very quote at the top of this page was penned by a man such as this.  A man that vehemently persecuted the church, imprisoned preachers of the gospel; he made it his life’s work to destroy Christianity.  Then one day the Jesus stopped him in his tracks, and changed his life forever; are we not thankful that God’s selection process is somewhat different than the worlds?  I ask, if God can take a man such as Paul, a man that killed Christians.  If he can sanctify this man, if he can make a: preacher, teacher, minister, apostle, out of this man.  What can he do for you in your life?  He does not see us as the world does.  You see a filthy, ruined, broken life.  He sees a white, clean, complete, testimony.  You see a sin enslaved prisoner.  He sees a prime candidate to be an ambassador to him, and a preacher of the ministry of reconciliation. A person that can proclaim to all who will hear “he did it for me and he can do it for you!”  Simply put, Jesus can change your life, if you give it to him.  As the old hymn goes “give up, and let Jesus take over.”

I don’t know who reads this every week.  I don’t who you are, or where you come from.  But I do know this, the person who gets up from an altar of prayer, will not be the same person who knelt to begin with.  That’s why it’s called conversion, and when God puts his Spirit in your heart it will burn out the “want-to” part of you.  That part of you that naturally “wants-to” disobey God.  It will take that part out and put in a new “want-to.”  A want-to that wants what he wants, and desires what he desires.  It will make you, well………holy.  That’s the gospel, and it is for whosoever will, not for whosoever is qualified.  You don’t get your life in order so you can come to God; you come to God because he can put your life in order.  Like a rose among the thorns, God can make something beautiful blossom from a sharp, barren, harsh, vine………If you let him.  This radical restoration comes from radical reconciliation.  When you give your all to God, he can change it all; for His glory.