God Gives Life and Choice
When you think about it, life is simple from God’s perspective. He gives us two things that outweigh everything else around us in this life.
The first is life. You cannot get life anywhere else except from God, no one has the patent on it like God, and even AI cannot create life. You can note that for future reference.
The second is that God gives us choice. That choice is the most important attribute given to us after life is given to us. We get to choose meaning, purpose, who we will marry, what career path to follow, and how many kids we want. Choice is a big deal. With choice comes wise responsibility, because God, the giver of life and choice, will ask us someday what we did with both. Always remember Who gave us these two … give Him credit and love Him.
What Does All This Mean?
Christians believe that God created life and gave us a choice in how to live that life. Free will is that choice where God does not cross the boundary of making our choices for us in how we live. This is why Calvinism, a doctrine that teaches that God knew how people would choose, and then elected them to be saved from the beginning of their creation. To me, this cheapens the idea of God giving us choices. If free will is given to every creation, it cannot be tampered with anywhere along the process in our lives.
Why Does This Matter to You?
People are always curious about God and what He is like as God. He is tender, soft, merciful, grace oriented, and has love for everyone … even those who reject Him. Jesus equated this to a shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep safe in the pasture and searches for the one missing stray lamb that has wandered off. God is always concerned for the one who has wandered off, and it has His attention.
I find the Prophet Ezekiel’s description of what He expects in the shepherds who watch over the people, as recorded in Ezekiel 34. God says He wants shepherds who will work alongside the weak, the sick, and the injured. Doesn’t that sound like the ministry of Jesus? The unique part in Ezekiel 34 is that when God says He expects His shepherds to go looking for those who have strayed.
We all have a choice to participate in what would please God the most … finding the lost, and caring for those who are in trouble. Remember, God wants none to perish, and He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, so He is doing all He can within His power to bring people into the Kingdom of God.
God Gives Life, and Then He Gives Choice
Once created, the next basic understanding is that God gives everyone the freedom of choice. The things God wants you to acknowledge are simple truths … He is the Creator and you are His creation. Once you realize that all of creation belongs to Him, you then have a different perspective on acknowledging God as Creator, and then using your free will by choice, to accept Him as Savior.
Conclusion
Let me conclude by saying that God has never been angry with you. He uses circumstances that are both good and bad to get your attention, so that you can end the emptiness in your life. Deciding to follow Christ is the biggest decision you will ever make in this life.
“Lord God, help me to have eyes to see you working on earth, and ears to hear your voice in discerning the times in which we live. Amen.”
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler