God did not desire mechanical robots that would involuntarily and without emotion follow His commands. Instead, God passionately desires living souls on whom He can lavish His love, and with whom He can enjoy a meaningful, intimate relationship. God desires relationship with human beings. He wants friendship. He longs for a deep heart connect. For this purpose He created you.
What would dignify His love? How would you know His love was genuine?
In order for His love to be real, and in order for your love to be authentic, He created you with the freedom to choose. That’s right! You have the freedom to choose. He will never force you to say yes to Him. He created you with great dignity and worth. You have the freedom to choose to receive His love or to reject His love. God honors the choices you make. He will never violate the dignity of your free will. Remember, love is not real love without a choice. Love is not real love without the freedom to say yes or the freedom to say no to love’s invitation.
Therefore, the temptations in this natural world had to be real.
The choices had to be real. You will choose good or evil, righteousness or unrighteousness, justice or injustice. You have the freedom to love or to hate, to live in peace or strife, to choose life or death, to say yes or no, to be happy or sad, to pursue humility or pride, to choose blessing or cursing. It’s your choice to give love, or to withhold love, to respond with harshness or with gentleness. It’s your choice! You get to choose. And, the choices you make in freedom are real and really matter. The choices you make have consequences in this life and the next. The decisions you make today affect the quality of your life now and in the age to come. Every one of your choices matter.
God risked everything for love – imagine His vulnerability.
This is stunning! He loves you and nothing can or will ever change that fact. Love Himself will always love you. God’s love is without condition. This means that you can choose to receive His love or you can choose to scorn His love. In either case, His love remains the same. His love does not change based on what you do or do not do. He loves you so much and that’s all there is to it. That fact cannot be questioned, negotiated, or diluted. It simply is. You are passionately loved by God.
Oh, the vulnerability of God’s heart! His heart will feel pain if you choose to refuse His love. That is the risk of love. Jesus said, I am not willing that any should perish (live eternally separated from God). That’s His heart. But remember, love is not love unless you have the freedom to choose. What a risk! He risked being rejected. He risked a broken heart. He risked His reputation. He risked the very real fact that you could refuse His love.
Think about this –
God created you with great love, care and delicate precision down to every single detail of your life. He made you with purpose and for a purpose. He breathed His very own breath into you. He is the one who sustains your life. He is the one who cares most about you. Yet, because authentic love is selfless love, God keeps His hand open and says “now, you choose…”
Don’t think for a minute that God sits back with His arms crossed and passively waits for you to choose to receive or to refuse His love. Not a chance!
My friend, trace your life’s story and you will begin to see how relentlessly He has pursued your heart. Love seeks to win your affection but ultimately you choose. This is the dignity of your human spirit, and Love will never violate your free will.
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