Love By Choice

Last night a question was asked in our youth group...why did God create Satan? They asked if He knew the outcome, why did he continue?

So many of us ask questions like this...wondering why God does as He does. But sometimes we can answer our questions by looking at ourselves...we are made in His image. We have many of his characteristics and ways.

So...think about love. If you had the ability to MAKE everyone love you, would that feel like love? Of course, when we feel love for someone and it is not returned, it hurts. We know God hurts. I am sure when God looks at many faces of his creation, the lack of love, the lack of obedience, the lack of faith, the lack of acknowledegment....it all must hurt. But...the alternative was to create beings without a choice. He could have had all creation love him, obey him, and sing praises to him all day long. But he would also know, that it is not real....without the choice, it is a created love, not a chosen love.

How much more it must mean to him, when we turn away from the world, turn away from sin, turn from the temptation and look towards him, choosing to love him, choosing to follow him. This is the love I would want. I want to be loved by choice. How much more must our heavenly father want this same kind of love?

Are you choosing to love him today?

May you find salt and light in my words.

Their Faith

Most of us who have attended church, bible study or read bible stories have heard the story of Jesus on the boat with his disciples. He is sleeping, a storm comes up, and they wake him up. If you haven't you can read it here: Luke 8: 22-28, or Matthew 23-27,  or Mark 4:35-41.

I have heard many different sermons on this scripture focused on Jesus calming the storm.

But last week, the sermon spoke of them waking him. And that Jesus was rebuking them for their lack of faith. And it is true..if we think of the boat as our life, and if we have Jesus in our boat (if we have invited him there), ...do we need to worry about the storms? We have Jesus in the boat! What should we worry about if Christ is in the boat?  And as many sermons have taught, our eyes should be on Jesus....not on the storms that are raging.

So, that got me to wondering...the what if.  What if the disciples had had the faith and had looked at the storm, and then looked at who was in the boat....and chose to go to sleep. Not worry about the storm. Not worry about what could happen. Not think about all the possibilities. But....just had the faith to go to sleep. What did they miss out on?

And I wonder about us. What storms have we begged and begged to stop...and Jesus stopped them. What could those storms have done in our life? How would it have shaped us? What possibilities did we let go of?

When storms rage against our lives...they toss us into new directions. They give us new perspectives. They grow us. They change us. They make us more dependent on Christ. We should not be shouting so soon to wake up Jesus. He knows exactly what is going on. He is fully aware. If he can sleep through it, we should rest as well. He knows all, and sees all.

I am not sure what they missed out on that day. But I think of the storms I have endured...and what they did for me. They were tough to go through and they were very scary. But, I look at who I am today because of those storms, and I am so thankful.

So don't miss out, endure your storms. Remember, he will only allow what we can endure...so hold on tight, be alert and steadfast, and see where your storms will take you.

2 Corinthians 1: 3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort."

May my words always bring salt and light.