Many people ask the question. “Wouldn’t the world be a better place if God had not given us free will?” The Bible tells us that God created us for His glory and pleasure. For a moment think about it from a parent’s perspective.
If a parent created a child and programmed them to love the parent back like a robot. Would the parent get pleasure from the child’s love? Considering the child would not have a choice in giving love back, since this show of love would be an involuntary act (a programmed action).
Instead our heavenly Father, created us with free will. So imagine the joy and pleasure God, as our father receives when one of His children willingly and voluntarily demonstrates true love back to Him.
God created us, he chose us, as His children, and gave us the free will to make our own decision to love Him and to accept Him. ”And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
This story takes us on a man’s journey and the realisation that no matter what the circumstances, God was always there for Him.
He grew up in a country town and as a lad he was a church ‘server’, choirboy and paid bell ringer. “I always attended Sunday School. We kids did as we were told. Mum made sure of that.”
In his late teens, peer group pressure got hold of him and he moved away from the church and during this time he met his future young wife at a local dance. He didn’t know she’d become pregnant, but that did not stop him from falling in love with her. Sadly his bride-to-be’s mother adopted the baby out. They later had three more children.
On the birth of his first child and son, the man was overjoyed with pride and in awe of what he refers to as ‘the miracle of seeing your child born.” The baby had complications and was transferred to a city hospital. All along the man had full faith in the doctors, and believed with all his heart that this was merely a little hiccup in the journey.
The joy soon was taken over by sorrow when after undergoing two operations within two days, the baby died. The parents could not afford paying for the baby to be transferred back to their country town, so they travelled back home with the deceased baby in the back seat of the car.
In time, two daughters became his pride and joy, until the past reminder of their loss, and constant work-focus finally led to a broken marriage.
“’Where was God in the picture?’ That’s what I wondered when everything was falling apart around me. But I stuck with what I knew. I knew how to work and I knew how to go to church and sing His praises. God never left me… I remarried and moved to the ‘Promised Land’ in Western Australia.”
Over time the man says, he found ‘uncommon kindness’ and he loves his involvement in a great grace-filled church.
He has been driving trucks now for about 30 years and loves the quiet time alone. “I talk and sing to God every day. His grace is amazing. I know my breath may end tomorrow but I also know I have eternal life after they lay my body down.” He said.
“God is in control of my life. That does not mean that I am robot …we can make our mind up about what we want to do. So, I’m quite happy knowing that God is in control of our lives in all that we do.”
Suggested reading:
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” – John 15:16 NKJV
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” – James 4:7-8 NKJV
