B
brakelite
Guest
"And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou has sent".
There is our assurance of salvation. Not the scripture that proclaims a truth, but the reality of our knowing God. A very real experiential relationship with our Creator. That is our assurance. That is our security, knowing Him, that He is faithful to fulfil all His promises toward His redeemed.
Some would say that is love. And they are correct. But love is not fully understood by many. Love does not coerce. Love leaves choices for those loved...even though those choices may lead to trouble. To deprive a loved one of choice, ceases to be love. We all have the power of choice. We can, if we are stupid enough, to fall foul of temptation and believe that present pleasures are worth more that future life. We may also choose to follow a god of our own making. We allow the things of this world to become idols. Like our favourite football team. Or food. Or entertainment. And we spend more time with that god than God. And in time god becomes everything, and God is left out in the cold. He will surely remind us of our folly. He will remonstrate with us through His servants...through His word...through the Spirit...but we still have the choice...repent or continue in our chosen path. We may grieve the Spirit until He finally and reluctantly leaves us to our decisions. He will not grant us life if we choose to reject Him.
I cannot imagine myself doing such a thing. After 40 or more years knowing my Saviour and learning to love Him and trust in His love and experiencing the many times He has cared for me and my loved ones, it seems repugnant in the extreme to think I could ever turn my back on Him. Yet I am human. The world has some very attractive stuff going on. The older I get the more aware I am of my own weaknesses...thus the more tightly I lay hold on Him who is able to save me to the uttermost. And I am confident that so long as I abide in Him, I am safe. I am always and most assuredly saved in that state of abiding, and in that state of relationship God has ordained that I be changed into the image of His Son. And the closer I grow to Him, the more ugly my carnal nature becomes. The more determined I am not to allow anything to entice me away from Him. Yet the choice remains. It always will. That is love. It is the inherent nature of marriage. If my partner of 40 years would choose for whatever reason to leave me...tell me my friends...what are my options other than plead with her to stay...tie her up in the basement...or let her go? What is a relationship whereby one partner is retained against their will?
There is our assurance of salvation. Not the scripture that proclaims a truth, but the reality of our knowing God. A very real experiential relationship with our Creator. That is our assurance. That is our security, knowing Him, that He is faithful to fulfil all His promises toward His redeemed.
Some would say that is love. And they are correct. But love is not fully understood by many. Love does not coerce. Love leaves choices for those loved...even though those choices may lead to trouble. To deprive a loved one of choice, ceases to be love. We all have the power of choice. We can, if we are stupid enough, to fall foul of temptation and believe that present pleasures are worth more that future life. We may also choose to follow a god of our own making. We allow the things of this world to become idols. Like our favourite football team. Or food. Or entertainment. And we spend more time with that god than God. And in time god becomes everything, and God is left out in the cold. He will surely remind us of our folly. He will remonstrate with us through His servants...through His word...through the Spirit...but we still have the choice...repent or continue in our chosen path. We may grieve the Spirit until He finally and reluctantly leaves us to our decisions. He will not grant us life if we choose to reject Him.
I cannot imagine myself doing such a thing. After 40 or more years knowing my Saviour and learning to love Him and trust in His love and experiencing the many times He has cared for me and my loved ones, it seems repugnant in the extreme to think I could ever turn my back on Him. Yet I am human. The world has some very attractive stuff going on. The older I get the more aware I am of my own weaknesses...thus the more tightly I lay hold on Him who is able to save me to the uttermost. And I am confident that so long as I abide in Him, I am safe. I am always and most assuredly saved in that state of abiding, and in that state of relationship God has ordained that I be changed into the image of His Son. And the closer I grow to Him, the more ugly my carnal nature becomes. The more determined I am not to allow anything to entice me away from Him. Yet the choice remains. It always will. That is love. It is the inherent nature of marriage. If my partner of 40 years would choose for whatever reason to leave me...tell me my friends...what are my options other than plead with her to stay...tie her up in the basement...or let her go? What is a relationship whereby one partner is retained against their will?