Free Will of Man vs. The Will of God

There are many times that I am having a conversation about God with someone who is not a follower of Christ, and there is often the question, "If God loves us all so much, then why is there wickedness, suffering, and sickness in the world?" For many years this stumped me, and would normally force an end to the conversation, and the individual who asked it would leave feeling triumphant that they "tricked" me. I didn't know how to turn the feelings in my heart into coherent thought and words that would make sense. I now believe that I have been given the inspiration to put those feelings down into words, and it all comes down to on thing, Free Will.


Every single person on this planet has the ability to make decisions. They have a choice. This is because God has given us the gift of Free Will. We have the choice to follow Christ, or to rebel against Him. We have the choice to love our neighbors, or to be spiteful towards them. God wants us to love our neighbors, and to follow His commandments. We see very clearly what Christ wants in Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV):

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments."

What does all this mean? It means that we are told to love God first, and then to love each other.We are not suppose fight against God and we are not suppose to cause other people to suffer. I will elaborate on the three parts to the question posed to me above, and hopefully give some clarity.


Wickedness in the world:
The person who helps out the needy brings some peace to their life. God wants his people to share the love he has given us with others. On the flip side to this, the person who chooses to commit a crime against another individual, is making the choice to go against God's will. The criminal is doing what they choose to do. The victim is not making the choice to go through this pain. The suffering that the victim is going through is because of the free will choice of another.


So why doesn't God strike down these people that do wicked things? That seems at first to be a legitimate question. God says he loves his people, and he will protect us. The reason God doesn't smite every wicked person is because God wants everyone to have the chance to repent, and to make the choice to follow Him. We see this in Ezekiel 33:11 (MSG):

"Tell them, ‘As sure as I am the living God, I take no pleasure from the death of the wicked. I want the wicked to change their ways and live. Turn your life around! Reverse your evil ways! Why die, Israel?" 

God doesn't want His children to die eternally. He wants all of us to be with Him for eternity. He doesn't want us to do wicked things. If you continue to read Ezekiel, it is explained that if the most righteous decides to rebel against God, then all his righteousness means nothing, and if the most wicked person repents and chooses to follow God, then all his wickedness will be forgiven.


Suffering in the world:
So how does free will explain the suffering of entire tribes in Africa, or villages around the world? This suffering and pain is often cause by other people. Throughout history, we look at the domination, enslavement, and destruction of entire cultures because of the wicked actions of another. Villages would pillage other villages for what they had, because greed was in their hearts. The leaders of a country would order their soldiers to suppress people so they could keep control, and grow their own wealth. Wickedness would breed wickedness. The soldiers would become corrupt and would take what they chose. None of these things are done because it is God's will for them to be done.


What is God's will, is for us to show love to those who are suffering. This can be as simple as financially supporting missionary work in Africa, or maybe sending care packages to specific people around the world. The possibilities of helping others in endless. Often, there are those who need help in your own town. If you see someone in need, then you should help them. This does not mean that every suffering person becomes your personal responsibility, but it does mean that you should do what you can. If you were sick and in pain, or the victim of a crime, would you not want someone to show you love and compassion? Jesus gave us the "Golden Rule" in Matthew 7:12 (NIV):

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

Another verse to consider when looking at how God wants his children to behave is Colossians 3:12 (NLT):

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

God doesn't want us to suffer. His will is to have us live a good life, but our own free will and the choices of others can bring suffering to the world. As followers of Christ, we must do what we can to help alleviate and prevent suffering.

Sickness in the world:

I find the hardest thing to explain, is sickness itself. If God loves us, then why do we get sick? Why don't we become immune to everything and just go on living our lives? There is really only one explanation I can give to that, and it is Satan. So sickness is not a product of our free will, or another persons free will, but the will of Satan.

If we look at the book of Job, we see the progression of God allowing Satan to test Job and his faith in God. This shows me that any sickness like this comes from Satan, and it is a test. Keeping your faith, and keeping God as your refuge will allow you to make it through. We see this in Psalms 41:3 (NLT):

"The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health."

Please don't take this as saying that by keeping faith you are guaranteed to be physically healed of all sickness. There is always the chance that your body will not make it through the sickness, but by keeping the faith you can be confident in the knowledge that your spirit will make it through. This can be a difficult thing, but with God, all things are possible.

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I sincerely hope that my intentions and thoughts behind this post are clear. I hope this has given at least one person some guidance and inspiration. If there are any questions about what I have written, then please comment below or send me a private message. God bless!

Changing My Thoughts

     I read a post on Facebook the other night, which was posted from one of the pastors at my church, and it really got me thinking. It got me thinking, "What can I do to further develop my relationship with Jesus?" As it is right now, I pray at least twice a day, I try to take time throughout my work week to spend time in devotion and meditation, and i attend church regularly. I know that nobody is perfect, but that doesn't mean I can't do more. I know that I can never grow too much in my walk with Jesus.

     My hope in writing this personal note is that I will be able to provide encouragement and inspiration to somebody else. Some of the most motivational people i have ever had the privilege of listening to, have not been ashamed to mention their own flaws and stumbles in their lives. By showing my own imperfections, and sharing my growth, I hope to provide others that same motivation.

     I find that one of the hardest things to do as a Christian is to separate myself from the world. Sometimes I find myself getting caught up in what is around me. Often at work I will get surrounded by conversations that I should not be a part of, or I will be watching TV and some new reality show comes on and the contents of the show go directly against Biblical teachings, yet I watch it. Sometimes I hear the Spirit, and I am reminded to remove myself from whatever the situation. Sometimes I hear nothing, and I get so wrapped up that I lose focus on what my life should really be about. 

     Something I must do is change the way I think about things. I must strive to make it so my thoughts flow in a Jesus driven direction. To do this, I need to go beyond just reading the Bible, and praying. I must incorporate Biblical truths in my daily life. Hour to hour, throughout my day, I must remind myself of the life that Jesus would want me to live. When the temptations of the world are presented to me, I must rely on Jesus, and not my own will to fight against the tricks of the enemy. 

     Time for the inspirational part I was talking about. Most of the below scriptures were provided by the FB post I mentioned before. They are all picked to provide encouragement, truths to meditate on, and to help us all to grow into mature people of God! 

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*John 8:31-32 (NLT) Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

*John 6:45 (NLT) As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 

*Luke 11:36 (NLT) If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light. 

*Ephesians 1:20-23 (MSG) All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence. 

*Philippians 1:27 (NLT) Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 

*Philippians 4:9 (NIV) Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

*Philippians 4:12 (NIV) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 

*Titus 2:1-3 (NIV) You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 

*2 Timothy 1:13-14 (NIV) What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 

*2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NLT) But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 

*Colossians 1:10 (NLT) Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 

*Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT) And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. 

*Colossians 3:12 (NLT) Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

*Colossians 3:16 (NLT) Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 

*Colossians 4:5 (NLT) Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 

*1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NLT) Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 

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I hope this provides many people encouragement and perspective, just as it has provided me. I will continue to meditate on this as I continue my life long walk with Christ. 

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Thank you Pastor Wally for the post that provided the inspiration I needed to write this.

New Beginnings...

     The hardest things in life tend to be new beginnings. At least this is what I have experienced. I am not saying that every time something new begins, that it is the most difficult experience, but I am saying that new beginnings are not the easiest. This time is no different. My name is David, and this is a new beginning of a journey for myself, and my family. But before I can tell you about this new beginning, I should tell you about where I come from.

     I was brought up in a Christian home, going to church on Sundays more times than not. We celebrated Christmas, and remembered the importance of Easter. My parents did their best to bring me up as a Christian, and they succeeded in their goal. When I was 14, I was baptized in the pool at Applegate Christian Fellowship. Life was good, and I only had a few stumbles in high school. Nothing truly led me far off the path that God had for me until after I turned 18 and moved away from home when I joined the military.

     Being away from what I knew, and the overwhelming experiences of the world flooded me, and for awhile, took over my life. I began to be more free in my relationships, go to stores that I should not have been going in to, and reading books that should never have been read. I began to question a lot of the things I had been brought up to believe. My faith was rattled to the point that I didn't even feel the Spirit in me any more. I was so far from my upbringing, that I did not even tell my parents when I got married.

     Looking back, I know that no matter what I did or where I went, I was still under the protection of Jesus. I know He wept for me, and was saddened by what I was doing, but He was still there for me the moment I was ready to listen. Shortly after getting married, my wife and I were having a discussion about the Bible, and what it meant to us. We knew that we needed to get Jesus at the center of our life, our marriage, and our growing family. That is when I started to hear the Spirit once again.

     After finding a church that we could regularly attend, I thought things were going really good. My life was thrown into another upheaval when I was taken away from my family for work. I had to go to another country for a year, and leave my family behind. At this point in my relationship with God, it was strong enough to keep me from going astray, but at the same time, that year caused my faith to become stagnate.

     Fortunately, we found our family together again at my current assignment. It took us awhile to find our niche again as a family. My wife had essentially been a 'single' mother while I was away, and I had more or less been a bachelor again. We knew quickly that we needed to find a church. The second church we went to was so amazing, and the message was so powerful, that there was no doubt for myself or my wife that this was the church for us. The church's name is Living Stones Community Church of the Nazarene. The last few years at this church has been amazing for my family, and my personal relationship with Jesus.

     As of late, I have felt Jesus guiding me to do more. I have felt that it is time to take things to another level. After much prayer and meditation, I believe that it is this very blog that is what I have been guided to do. This blog is the new beginning. It is the next chapter in my life.

     After much prayer and deliberation, I have selected the name of this blog to be "Salvation & Honor." I picked this as the name of the blog because during one of my devotion times, I opened the Bible to the following passage, "My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. (Psalm 62:7 NIV) This passage stuck with me, and has become a very personal passage for me. What better verse then that to use as the title of my blog.

     I hope that my future posts provide inspiration, motivation, comfort, and understanding. I pray that God uses me to share His message, and uses this blog as a tool to lead lost souls to the path that God has set for them.

     If there are any questions, concerns, prayer requests, or you simply want to chat, then please comment on any of my posts, or send me a private message. Thank you and God bless!