Free will is God’s gift to every person.
The people of the world still choose Barabbas (John 18:40) who was a thief. Why? Because their inflated egos deceive them into thinking that they are in charge. They chose lawlessness so that they can do anything they choose to do whenever it suits them. Their ego is a declaration that Edges God Out. A world without God is a world adrift, having neither chart nor compass. So, God is giving them up (Romans 1:28-31) to their own ever-increasing lusts, and they are smothering under the fruits of their own choices. God allows their free will to continue for a set time and then He will call a halt. God’s gift of eternal salvation is free to all who receive but (John 13:27) when you close the door to Jesus - - you open the door to Satan. True Christians live in a world within this world, a spiritual world where our chart is the living Word of God, our compass is the Almighty Holy Spirit and obedience to God is our lifestyle.
Here is the explanation for what is wrong with this present fallen world.
W- we
R - rule
O – ourselves
N – not needing
G – God
They want a God Who will (Matthew 14:3-4) agree with their sinful ideas and desires, a God Who will (Matthew 11:16-17) play their games. But God’s holy Word does not change to accommodate or ignore sin, so they reject Him and choose lawlessness to be their god.
We who are truly born again can never lose our salvation but we can suffer loss. During our lifetime God intends to fit us, make us suitable to share in (Colossians 1:12) the inheritance of the saints. Our own wrong choices can rob us of part or all of our inheritance. Can we even begin to imagine what it would be like to appear (2 COR.5:10) at the Judgement Seat and tell Jesus that we thought it was more important to indulge and please ourselves rather than to obey and please Him!!! Dare we go with such a disgusting confession before our Redeemer, the WORTHY LAMB of Calvary?
Free will is God’s gift to every person and there will be consequences for every choice. We can be wise stewards of the gift of free will or we can play the fool and endure the consequences. The consequences could be rich rewards or disastrous loss.
The Lord is the Creator and Owner of the heavens, the earth, the seas and everything that is in them.
There is coming a day when He will (Revelation 11:15) put down all authority and everything and everyone will be subject to the final eternal judgment of (Deuteronomy 10:17, Revelation 19:16) King Jesus. The King is coming and He, the Judge, (James 5:8-9) is already standing at the door. We have a choice and we can be (Romans 8:5) controlled by the desires of the flesh or by the desires of the Holy Spirit. I’m sure we have no difficulty in figuring out which desires are most profitable to us. If we walk/live worthy (2 Thessalonians 1:11) we will be looking and longing for our heavenly Bridegroom to come and take us Home to the Father’s house. While we are waiting, we are to invest in this world what He has given us, and so (Luke 19:13) to build for His kingdom until He comes. We still have a little time to serve the Lord and carry out His world-wide enterprises. More and more I am realizing the tremendous scope and the holy privilege and the magnificent gift of prayer. As we pray in and with the Holy Spirit, we have kingdom authority and then the transforming power of God will be mightily effective in changing lives and areas all over the world. As we are in heart-to-heart agreement with God, every prayer request will be granted. Our destiny (Ephesians 1:12) is to live for the praise of His glory. Our loving Omnipotent God has provided many glorious opportunities for us because of (Ephesians 1:19) His mighty power in us and for us. What are we doing, you and I, to bring back the King?
(Dr. Stanley) “A person plus God is a whole person. Calvary took care of his sin and Pentecost empowered him to be a worthy person fulfilling God’s purpose. Jesus died for us and lives His life in us. A person minus God can never be a whole person.” The world of persons not whole is a wrong world. It is sinful for us who have been made whole, to put ourselves down and to think of ourselves as worthless. That perspective underestimates and diminishes the truth of the finished, completed work of Jesus on the Cross to make us new creations capable of obeying God and having unbroken communion with Him. The Lord Jesus thought we were worth dying for and that makes us immensely valuable. We can’t take any credit for God’s work in us but we can thank God for His work in us and we can repent and acknowledge and count significant the new creation, the transformed person God has made us to be because we belong to Him. We have been made whole. Just as one day God will make all things new in the universe, at salvation God makes everything new in us. Now the Lord uses us to make all things new in the lives of others.
This is a brief sketch of the godly character that is being developed in us through our lifetime by the sanctifying power of God within us.
As new creations in Christ Jesus, we find a drastic alteration in our interests, attitudes, preferences, reasons, reasonings and desires. Our will is lost in God’s will, our mind is enveloped with the mind of Christ and no matter who, when or what, our attitudes are always rooted in love. What we prize most has eternal value and is not tainted by the false glitter of the temporary. When we give anything to God, we are only agreeing with Him (1 Chronicles 9:14) that He owns everything and there is no limit to what He can do with what is His own. As grateful stewards we are amazed to see what a little can do when God is in it.
Let us never cease to thank the Lord for the beauty and the fragrance and the holiness and the mystery of Jesus. The mystery of Jesus – a hope, a manger, a Cross. The mystery of Jesus – a promise – Bethlehem – Calvary – supreme Ruler and King of all kings. The mystery of Jesus is no longer a secret – He Who was to come did come – but who can fully comprehend or explain the glorious mystery of the GOD – MAN.