By Gloria Wessner
‘We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
on him, on him (Jesus).’ (Isaiah 53:6 MSG)
Right from the first story of the Bible, Adam and Eve decided they didn’t like what God said and determined then and there that they would please themselves and disobey the one thing that God said they shouldn’t do. Satan, in the disguise of a serpent or snake, convinced them that God was keeping all knowledge from them and that if they would just eat of that fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil; they would be like God who knows everything. What Adam and Eve didn’t realize, and also by doubting the goodness and love of God; was that he told them this to protect them for their own good, and give them a chance to show their love for God by listening and obeying him.
This is exactly what all of humankind has done since that very first story. From the time we’re very small, we would rather do what we want; than to listen to those who look after us. Between our tendency to always want to do our own thing or actually do those things that are wrong; we are incapable of living a ‘perfect life,’ always making the right choices.
This brings us back to the verse above. All of us have ‘wandered off’ and are going our own way.
We were created to have God in our lives, in a very personal way, helping us to make those better choices in life so we are happier, fulfilled, have purpose in life and have the ability to access and use God’s strength as he promised he’d give when life gets so very difficult. When we go our own way, we are also incapable of living forever with God in Heaven.
So God, in his great compassion and love; and knowing that we’ve blown it, has made it possible for us to make more right choices than not, live forever with him and have a personal friendship with him. Because we are his creation, he wasn’t about to lose us; so he came up with a plan that would rescue us.
‘That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.’ 1 Corinthians 1:30 (The Message)
It is Jesus, through his life, death and rising from the dead, that gives us the means by which we can make those right choices and have that friendship with him. God planned it all; right from the beginning, because he knew what was going to happen with all of humankind and the wrong things we’d choose without him. He will end it as well, as everything in the world and universe goes by his timetable:
‘He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.’
(Daniel 2:21 NLT)
‘For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed,
and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.’
(Acts 17:31 NLT)
I would encourage you to think about God’s offer for you to have a friendship with him. As the scriptures say:
‘As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you.
On the day of salvation, I helped you.”
Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation.’ (2 Corinthians 6:1, 2 NLT)
What about you, will you choose this gift of life from God today, and start a new life with him from today on?
Readers are encouraged to send their questions and feedback to Gloria at: gloriawes@hotmail.com.
