Life offers the opportunity for salvation or damnation. Our free-will directs our choices, to have faith in God and receive His plan of salvation, or reject and not believe God’s existence and the words and actions of His Son, Jesus. Our journey in life is towards God or away. Belief is a simple act, but it is a hard, difficult journey to get there. It is not easy to fight the world and the temptations of sin, for an unseen spiritual world, submission of free will and a life of obedience to God. In fact, it is impossible without God’s intervention.

To find God is a blessing. He is revealed to all, but not seen or heard by those whose heart is hardened and mind is resistant. If you seek, if you are left in such desolation that God is your only hope, if your mind can find no peace because you want answers, if you need to fill an emptiness and futility inside you, if in your heart you feel that life has purpose and meaning you cannot find – even so, when you are desiring to see and hear, God must choose it to be so. Do not take lightly when God’s glory is revealed to you. You are among the few and need be a grateful and loyal recipient of God’s grace.

Given God’s law, it is not hard to understand the state of human sinfulness. The standards of righteousness and holiness are impossibly high, and unattainable without God’s mercy and grace. Ever try to give a day to God? Everything is a distraction. Try to fast for God, try to not do the things you crave that will corrupt your focus on God. The thoughts of everyday life crowd God out. Family projects, events, problems, T.V., the news, entertainment, work and menial tasks, wandering thoughts; personal concerns – your mind and body are trained to take care of your desires and needs on a daily basis . It is hard to stay interested in God. It is boring. It is dull and repetitious. It is contrived and requires the utmost discipline. Why do we yearn for the excitement of sin and distraction? Why does the world pull on us so effectively? Shamefully, it is difficult to give even an hour, much less a day or a lifetime.

Our life is given by God for His pleasure. We are created, given free will, and the ability to reason at His discretion. Our life and the entire fate of all His creation is at His command. As arrogant and full of ourselves as we get, when we believe, we must fall to our knees and worship and praise the majesty of God. Our foolishness lies in disbelief, our wisdom lies in recognition. God need not be Holy and Righteous to be my God. He need not be merciful and graceful to me. He need not make a covenant for my salvation. I owe allegiance to God as my creator and Lord. It is because God is love that I am taught to love Him. The greatness of His love is the life of Jesus, who died for me.

To be a Christian is to want to be pleasing to God. His command is to love, our duty is to obey. The character of love is as the character of Jesus. His Son is our path to righteousness and favor in God’s eyes. As Jesus showed mercy, kindness and forgiveness, so must we. As Jesus exemplified God’s will, so should we. As Jesus stood apart from the world, so should we.