REFLECTIONS

October 13th, 2013

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

Genesis 1:27

Freedom to Choose

Great mysteries spread through the world we live in, yet we seldom dwell on the miracles surrounding us. The creation and life itself are taken for granted in our everyday activities, so we seldom pause to think deeply about the wonders of it all. Yet there are so many challenging questions about the life God has given us and the reasons He did.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; and with it, He created mankind. God envisioned people spread throughout the earth to oversee it. Still each of us has been uniquely made; no two are exactly the same. He gives us differences in appearance, size, personality, and talent. He places us in different environments, speaking different languages, and exposes us to different experiences. Yet He gives us all the same assignment—to love God and one another; but then He strangely allows us the freedom not to do it. Why would that be?

God retains total control over the laws of nature He created. He gives the light of day that we might see to do our work, darkness of night to help our daily rest, and annual seasons to make life around us grow. He created gravity to make rivers flow and to provide sure footing as we travel about. These elements of nature reach beyond our ability to control so that orderly and reliable systems for our lives are assured. But He allowed us freedom to choose the way we live within them. And God has a reason.

God created mankind in his own image. He did not bless our lives with the powers He possesses; but He did give us the ability to love as He does. God is love. Love is an inward commitment to the well being of another. It is a choice of the heart. And God set an example of love for us to follow.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 NKJV) God had a choice to make and in his love for us He chose to give his Son that we might live.

So as we look again at the assignment to love God and one another, there is no mystery about God’s gift of freedom to choose.

Without freedom to choose there can be no love.

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org


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