One of the most challenging spiritual lessons that a person can learn is that we are not put on this earth to do anything we want to do. If you ponder this for any length of time, you’ll discover its truth. Proverbs 16:4 tells us that God has made everything for its purpose, that includes you and me. Every individual that has ever existed has had a specific purpose and reason for being that God ordained long before they arrived on the scene. We grow up trying to map out the life we think we should have, but often our plans don’t work out. People can become angry, confused, disappointed, and sometimes bitter when this happens; but God’s desire is that we have faith in His plan, because His plan is always best.
1 John 3:1(NLT) says, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.” We are God’s chosen ones, handpicked to be His very own. 1John 4:8 affirms that He is a God of love, and as His children we are called to walk in His love. Through His precious Son, Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father has shown us how love behaves. Love does not constrain, be impatient and unkind, push, shove, manipulate or place in bondage. Love gives us freedom.
God told us through the Apostle Paul in 2Corinthians 3:17(NLT), “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Heavenly Father has given us the gift of free-will. He’s given us the choice to decide whether we want to live according to His Will or live according to the world.
Living our way just does not work out. Adam and Eve proved that without the leadership, guidance, and example of the Lord Jesus Christ, humanity is in pretty rough shape. God gave Adam and Eve everything. They had perfect health, perfect bodies, and perfect minds. They were extremely intelligent, had access to everything they could have ever possibly needed in the Garden of Eden, and they had fulfilling and meaningful work to occupy their time and keep them busy. On top of everything else, the icing on the cake is that they had tremendous fellowship with God, being able to commune with Holy Spirit daily.
Adam and Eve had it all, and still they were not satisfied. Still they doubted God’s Word and bowed to the devil, losing the precious holiness God had given them. Heavenly Father never intended for Adam and Eve to die. It was God’s desire that they live forever. He wanted them to have authority and dominion in the earth; this is the purpose He had given them. He wanted them to have the best, just as He wants us to have the best; we get to choose.
As God’s children, our free-will choices are extremely consequential because they determine whether we are obedient or disobedient to God’s Word. God created us in such a way that we only place authority in what we believe. The more authority we place in what we believe, the more it becomes a part of who we are. So, by this a person can clearly see that believing God’s Word means a lot to Him, because our obedience to God’s Word means that we have chosen to place authority in what He says. And not only do we place authority in what He says, but we make it our own by living according to the Word’s standard. Without living according to the Word’s standard, we are not really believing it, because James 2:26 tells us that faith without the actions to back it up is dead. So, when we hear the Word, believe it, and begin to walk it out in our daily lives, we are choosing to be obedient.
This is the way to please God, for Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, without believing and trusting in God’s Word, you and I cannot please Him. This verse also tells us that God is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. He rewards our obedience. He does not reward disobedience, because disobedience isn’t a part of His Kingdom. 1 Corinthians 4:20 (NLT) tells us, “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” We must believe God’s Will and Word and back it up with obedience in order to live by God’s power.
So, because of God’s love and grace, you and I can do whatever we choose in life, but we will face the consequences of our choices. Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to live beneath our privilege as His sons and daughters. He tells us in Galatians 5:13 (NLT), “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Called to Live in Freedom” by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2018. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.