Read: Colossians 3: 2-4
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." - John 17:3
God owes us nothing but hell for our sinful thoughts, words and deeds. He did not make any legal arrangements with Adam and Eve and their descendents that He is bound to honor. He will not be manipulated by our conditions and demands. He simply requires our full devotion and in return He will give us everything we need (Matthew 6:32-34). Most parents allow their children to grow, experience life and learn from their mistakes. They raise independent children who mature and make a positive difference in our world. God is the same way with His children.
Like a good father, He does
not dictate our life to us or force us into a mold. He wants us to willingly
lay our life down, take up our cross daily and allow Him to conform us to the
image of His Son (Romans 8:29). God
has a perfect plan for each individual life, but He will not force anyone to
walk in it. People blame God for the evils in life, when it is actually the sin
in mankind’s heart that perpetuates the atrocities we hear about in the news
almost by the minute. We take God out of our schools, government buildings and
home and wonder where God is when we need Him!
We fail to remember that God allows us to make our
own choices. We pay the consequences or
reap the rewards for all of our behavior. He will
also withhold certain gifts and callings from us, if our motives are anything
less than pure (Galatians 5:16; 1 Peter 1:14). God knew
before the foundation of the world whether or not we would believe in Him. He
does not want puppets or slaves, but willing worshippers who have His Spirit
and who live in His truth (John 4:23). God knows the reason behind all of our actions and desires. He encourages
us to consider eternal matters as more important than physical and earthly ones
(Colossians 3:2-4).
God has no desire to see us follow the base nature
within us to create pain and suffering for one another (John 13:34-35, 15:12; 1 Corintihians 13: 4-8). Although,
He always comforts us in these
afflictions when we do. Then He goes one step further. He gives us human
comforters to walk beside us every step of the way. God is strong when we are
weak. He gives each of us a free will to choose to do our own thing or to
follow His plan for our life (Joshua
24:15). He has an eternal plan for each of us. He exhorts us to
have the courage to step beyond the carnal, physical realm of this life into
the spiritual one that lasts for eternity (2 Peter 3:18).
Prayer:
Father God, You never manipulate mankind. If we are
willing, You will change our mourning into joyful dancing and the ashes of our
life into a thing of beauty (Psalm 30:11;
Isaiah 61:3). You never inflict Your will on us, but Your Spirit
will guide us if we are willing to listen and to obey. Thank You for calling us
by Your goodness and for Your glory (2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:7).
Thought for the Day:
God owes us nothing, but He wants to give us
everything we need for life and godliness. – 2 Peter 1:3