JESUS KNOWS US
I chose this picture because it's like a child's coloring book, simple and quiet. I wanted to show that not every choice we make is an ultra-dramatic and Las Vegas-style, spectacular life-changing event. Many choices are in the everyday innocent decisions and small choices that make up an ultimately many-facetted life. Jesus made choices every day too. He wasn’t a God-robot. He had total freedom of will to choose just like we do.
Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are” (Heb 4:15). He could have chosen to be disobedient, just as Lucifer chose in the beginning.
But rather, Jesus chose to be obedient to God because of us. He believed in what obedience would bring. He believed in his Father’s goodwill for humanity. The first chapter of John tells us Jesus was there when God created everything: elephants, rabbits, tiny neutrons, huge galaxies, mountains, flowers and everything else—all things for humanity to explore, utilize and enjoy.
Jesus knew God’s intention from the beginning. After Adam sinned and the devil began to have so much influence on earth, Jesus was willing to come to earth and go up against the devil to rescue men and women from his clutches.
To do this Jesus would have to beat Satan at every turn. He would have to live as a man and face all the temptations any man or woman would face. And He had to handle them by choosing God’s way every time.
He didn’t give in to even one temptation to make a bad choice.
As we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, He gives us the ability to turn to Him for better choices in every situation. He’s been there.
God was sure Jesus would do the right thing, but because He loves us so much, He was willing to let Jesus come to earth and live as a man and have freedom of will. Jesus could have chosen differently if He’d wanted to. But because He loved us too, He chose to go through with God’s plan at every turn. He took the horrible results of every bad decision we make, and He paid the ultimate price of death and hell.
Then God raised Jesus pure and free forever.
Romans 8:34 says Jesus is at the right hand of God, now living to make intercession for us. He is also right here with us to help us with our choices and Colossians 1:27 says we have Christ in us. How can He be in so many places at once? He’s Spirit and even the scientists now are proving that things can be in two places at once. It’s awesome.
Just like Jesus had decisions to make, let’s make an effort to give God honor by making good decisions ourselves and when we honestly don’t know what choice to make, take it to Jesus because He always knows the best choice at that time. He’s been through it. He took our place on the cross so that He could always be there to help us.
Love, Carolyn
Get my entire WINGS e-book of 60 exciting, helpful life lesson stories. Look for it under my name, Carolyn Molica, on Amazon.
No comments:
Post a Comment