....”Was this the work of your mother, of you or of God?”....
It was a co-operative event for my mother and myself “with” God.....I don’t see it as “a work”.....rather God’s ‘calling’....and his “drawing” me to himself as He does for all mankind.
I believe it’s ‘by his spirit’ He prepared my heart and mind to heed His calling with the choice to ignore or act on ‘seeking’ Him as I did or not............ and to one day hear the salvation message...giving me the choice to believe that message or not.
I think, (As Spurgeon stated)...that “free grace come to lead free will.”
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” ......Romans 10:13
God called
I called back
It was a co-operative happening.
I have found within every testimony, if one were to parse them, there is always a phrase such as this. If God prepared your heart, then your positive response to God was because God prepared your heart. God initiated it. You responded.
As for the rest of mankind, He calls but there is no evidence that He prepared their hearts.
Salvation is not by works, but I don’t see us as responding to God as a *work*.