Appointed to Be Eternal Fruit-Bearers

. . . No man is ever the same after God has laid His hand upon him. He will have certain marks, and though they are not easy to detect perhaps we may cautiously name a few. . .

Another mark of the Spirit's working is a mighty moral discontent. In spite of our effort to make sinners think they are unhappy the fact is that wherever social and health conditions permit the masses of mankind enjoy themselves very much. Sin has its pleasures (Hebrews 12:25) and the vast majority of human beings have a whale of a time living. The conscience is a bit of a pest but most persons manage to strike a truce with it quite early in life and are not troubled much by it thereafter.

It takes a work of God in a man to sour him on the world and to turn him against himself; yet until this has happened to him he is psychologically unable to repent and believe. Any degree of contentment with the world's moral standards or his own lack of holiness successfully blocks off the flow of faith into the man's heart. Esau's fatal flaw was moral complacency; Jacob's only virtue was his bitter discontent.

Again before a man can be saved he must feel a consuming spiritual hunger. Anyone who lives close to the hearts of men knows that there is little spiritual hunger among them. Religion, pious talk, yes; but not real hunger. Where a hungry heart is found we may be sure that God was there first. ''Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you . . .'' (John 15:16)

Prayer
This world is not my home. Thank You, Father, for moral discontent and spiritual hunger for You. It is inconceivable that You should have chosen me but You have! Hallelujah!

Thought
Moral discontent and spiritual hunger make us terribly uncomfortable in this world. Yet they mark us as appointed to be fruit-bearers. Is the fruit evident to those around us?

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