"The Miracle of Belief"

"My Utmost for His Highest," July 17 (in its entirety below). Extremely convicting. Consider its application to you: have you begun to rightly speak the Word of God to those around you? Below is a great reminder that out of the Holy Spirit and the truth and power of the Gospel, willing hearts will believe, not out of our eloquence. On the other side, are you one who is hesitant to speak the Gospel, not because of a lack of conviction, but because of a lack of confidence in the ability to communicate? So was Moses, but God overcame. Read Exodus 3:1-4:14 and see what God did with Moses, a man who was self-proclaimed to be "slow of speech and tongue." Also, note the consequences of disbelief that God can use you, exactly as you are (Exodus 32, in addition to 4:10-14). What a comfort that His Word and Spirit speak, though ours may be feeble and clumsy. We need only speak the simple truth of the Gospel.

THE MIRACLE OF BELIEF
"My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words." 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Paul was a scholar and an orator of the first rank; he is not speaking out of abject humility; but saying that he would veil the power of God if, when he preached the gospel, he impressed people with his "excellency of speech." Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the efficacy of Redemption, not by impressiveness of speech, not by wooing and winning, but by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of the Redemption comes through the preaching of the Gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher. The real fasting of the preacher is not from food, but rather from eloquence, from impressiveness and exquisite diction, from everything that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God - "as though God did beseech you by us." He is there to present the Gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get anywhere near Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the Gospel will end in making me a traitor to Jesus; I prevent the creative power of His Redemption from doing its work.

"I, if I be lifted up . . . , will draw all men unto Me."