The Good Of The Father (The Choice) #1960

 

And everything, whatsoever you may be doing, in word or in act, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God, the Father, through Him 

Paul to the Colossians 3: 17, Concordant New Testament 

I am of the opinion that far too many Christians have come to associate the consequences of our choices with the attributes of God.  Yes, I've been in those uninformed shoes as well as a young believer.  While I truly believe that for each and every action there is a reaction, I also believe that there are certainly consequences for that which we choose to do in our lives.  Is God somehow punishing you if you choose to let your car insurance lapse and therefore get a ticket?  Is He angry with you for choosing to drink too much and therefore get hit with a DUI?  I would say no to both of those scenarios.  Yet growing up in the mainstream church, the common consequences of the actions of others were all too often attributed to Gods punishment over our choices.  Now, while God may be well aware of what we intend to do beforehand, He has given unto us the free will to choose for ourselves.  We can choose to either accept or reject Christ, but rest assured there WILL be consequences for our decision.  If we choose to reject the words of Jesus, God will most certainly grieve our choice, but He will not punish us for our decision.  Jesus speaks to our entering through the narrow gate {Matthews Account 7:13-14}.  He knows that there is a choice to be made on our part.  Wide is the gate which leads to our destruction, while narrow is the way which leads to life.  My advice would be, choose wisely.  Even though God has given to us that ability to choose, He has not left us high and dry to ponder those decisions.  The apostle Paul speaks to doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father through Him {Paul to the Colossians 3:17}.  Paul has also decreed that we walk by our faith and not by sight {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:7}.  Just because God has given unto us the ability to make our own choices does not mean that we're on an island all alone in the process.  He is there to council and guide those decisions we make {James to the Twelve Tribes 1: 5-6}.  

And the peace of God, that is superior to every frame of mind, shall be garrisoning your hearts and your apprehensions in Christ Jesus

Paul to the Philippians 4: 7, Concordant New Testament 

I've come to the conclusion that the belief that God is somehow punishing us for our wrong choices comes not from the truth of the Father, but from who we perceive Him to be.  The apostle John speaks to the one true nature of God, which is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  Growing up in the church, I more often than not was taught a counterfeit version of the Lord.  God was indeed an angry and vengeful God.  All one needed to do was to peruse the scriptures of the Old Testament and they would eventually come across more than a few references of the Lord's vengeance {Isaiah 35:4}.  Is it, then, any wonder that far too many people have come to associate the consequences of our choices with Gods approval or disapproval?  Make no mistake, our wrong choices will not affect His love for us.  As I said, God may grieve our wrong choices, but His love for us remains.  Now, never  associate the Fathers correction with punishment.  For there are also times in our lives which the Father will correct us in a loving way.  This is not His punishment, but His love for us.  The writer of Hebrews introduces us to this truth of correction {To the Hebrews 12:11}.  In the moment, the correction of the Father may seem unpleasant, but it yields much greater things.  The truth is that God never disciplines out of anger, nor does He punish us for those wrong choices which we often make.  What He does do is gently remind us of His love for us.  

~Scott~