But we always had plenty just living his advice
Whatever you do today you'll have to sleep with tonight
You've got to stand for something/ Aarron Tippin
It's no secret that we humans have been created by the Father with the physical ability to make our own choices. Not only that, but we know that we have been created by the Father in His very own image {Genesis 1:27}. I believe that God did not want a creation that would blindly follow Him, but that would CHOOSE Him out of our own desire to know Him. Indeed, there are those who continue to "hear" of the Lord and yet fail to come to Him. That is their decision. The reality is, they will have to live with the consequences of their decision. The funny thing about being created with our own ability to choose is that we all too often have to live with the consequences of the decisions we make. For good or bad, we're stuck with the results of what we decide to do. I have made more than a few bad decisions in my time. the consequences of many were short lived. However, there are those wrong choices I've made where the consequences haunt me to this day. Some might call this a learning experience, I call it another chance to do right. Traditional Christian theology found a way a long time ago to link our wrong decisions to the love of God. Make the wrong decision and you could face to punishment of an angry God. However, a good friend mentioned something interesting to me recently. In regards to the chastening of the Lord, is it punishment or is it correction? Will God punish us in anger for our wrong decisions, or will He gently but firmly correct us? If we put this in the perspective of our earth bound parents we get a better idea of this concept. Now, I'm talking GOOD and non abusive parents here. Will a parent lash out at their child in hatred and anger for making a wrong decision? Or, will they firmly correct the child in a way that the kid will remember well? Something as simple as touching a hot stove burner requires very little parental correction. Lesson learned. Any parent worth their salt will correct their child and leave it at that. They do not lord that wrong decision over them for a lifetime. So it is with our heavenly Father. God may gently correct us when we make a wrong decision, but He will not hold it against us. That reeks of judgement, and the work of Jesus on the cross has already freed us from the punishment of sin.
Not you choose Me, but I chose you, and I appoint you, that you may be going away and be bringing forth much fruit, and your fruit may be remaining, that anything whichsoever you should be requesting the Father in My name, He will be giving it to you.
John 15: 16, Concordant New Testament
In the days after my mother passed in 2016, I faced a flood of memories and emotions. One particular still haunts me every now and then. I must have been around the age of ten and it was my birthday. My mother always tried to make that a special day for my brother and I. I remember that I eagerly anticipated a new bike I had been asking her for. As I opened the gifts before me, there was no bike. Disappointed, I sulked through my birthday dinner, not speaking to my mother that much. Now, I know that it hurt her to see that reaction from her son, but she didn't show it. In fact, she never brought it up again. What she did do a lot is assure me that she loved me. THAT is what I remember most. The same can be said for the Father. We might make bad decisions every now and then. He might take it upon Himself to correct us for those decisions, but He will NEVER continue to hold those decisions over us forever. This is part of the awesome love and grace of the Lord. This is evidence of the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross. We are forgiven, that sin debt has been paid in full. We need not worry about Gods angry punishment for that which we have done wrong. That judgement occurred at the cross as Jesus bore our sins in Himself {2 Corinthians 5:21}. We might carry our bad decisions with us, but rest assured that He who judges has already declared us forgiven in His sight.
And you will know the truth, and the truth will be making you free.
John 8: 32, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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