[326]Jesus said: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him". (John 6:44) The man now is drawn to Jesus by what he learns of Jesus, what Jesus has done for him, and by his own desire to follow a different course. When one ceases to approve the worldly course and begins to seek after the Lord, he is in that condition mentioned by the Apostle as seeking God, "if haply they might feel after him, and find him". (Acts 17:27) When he is drawn to Jesus, seeking God, then he is converted. He is now in the condition spoken of by the Apostle when he said: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out". (Acts 3:19) Repentance means a change of mind respecting one's relationship to evil; and conversion means a change of one's course. But neither repentance nor conversion, nor both together, brings the individual into relationship with God. Being drawn to Jesus, he must exercise faith. Faith means _first_ to understand and believe that God exists; that he is the great rewarder of them that diligently seek him; that the Bible is his Word of truth; that Jesus is his beloved Son and our Redeemer; and _then_ to rely confidently upon these things and prove this reliance by his action.--Hebrews 11:1,6. [327]He now needs information to increase his faith, and the Prophet has written: "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple". (Psalm 19:7) To such now, as are feeling after God, through Christ Jesus this message comes: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". (Matthew 11:28) Heavy laden means to be weary of the sinful course of the world and to have a desire to be relieved of this burden. Such a one says: 'I am tired of the wrongful course. I want to follow the right course, to know God, and to do his will.' [328]Now being drawn to Jesus, he learns through the Word that he must do something. To him Jesus says: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me'. (John 14:6) What can one who is now repentant and changing his course, but still a sinner, do to come into harmony with God? He is informed that it will cost him much. So Jesus says to him: 'Sit down and count the cost'. (Luke 14:28) He learns it will cost him all he has, namely, the surrender of himself to the Lord. The next step for one, then, to become a Christian is to make a consecration; that is to say, to commit himself to the Lord and his arrangements. And this he may do by saying in substance: 'Blessed Lord, I commit myself to thy arrangements; here I am. Do unto me according to thy holy will. I desire to do thy will.'