Have you ever reflected on why God created us with free will? Since He is perfect, why would He create a people who cannot be perfect? Don’t you feel like the best you can do is let God down? Do we break God’s heart each time we sin?
Certainly, God did not want robots. He could have created us to do anything He wanted, but God wasn’t lonely, in need of elaborate toys. He created us in order to share His enormous love with us. As little as we know about love, we do understand that it is only a gift when freely given. Think of a violent dictator, who will only accept complete obedience and adoration from his people, with the threat of death for any act of disobedience. His subjects don’t live in love, but in fear. The perceived love that the dictator might feel is not a gift, but a requirement. God doesn’t desire that, nor expect it. He wants us to love Him for what He did for us.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
John 4:18-19
God’s Word reminds us to fear the Lord, but fear in that context speaks of the awe and reverence we should have for Him, rather than us quaking in our boots! He knows that we are not perfect. Though we are not perfect, God’s love can perfect us! It won’t occur on this earth, but if we receive the gift He has given us, the gift of His Son, He will complete us. He will make us whole. He will make us holy!
One of the biggest hurdles we have to cross when we ruminate on these deep subjects is that God is not a bigger and better one of us. Many people erroneously refer to Him as the Man Upstairs. Though we were created in His image, we are not able to grasp the concept of His perfection and how strongly it contrasts with our imperfection. It’s as difficult as picturing the difference between a very large number and infinity. God is limitless, was never born and will never die, ALL powerful, ALL knowing, ALL loving…
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23
He is everything, fills everything. He is our all in all! Nothing you can do will surprise God, or break His heart. For as a Christian, when He looks at you, God doesn’t see His creation that continues to fail. Instead, He sees the end result, the completed work He will accomplish in you!
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:6
If you are struggling with sin, know that sin separates us from God, but that sin did not surprise your Lord. He has a plan that will bring you closer to Him, and that plan is forgiveness!
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