Before we explore the gift of free will and our privilege of choice, we need to establish some context.
In the last blog I suggested that the work of a child of God is to believe. In John 6 Jesus is talking with his disciples. They just witnessed Him feed 5 thousand people with a few loaves and a couple of fish. They ask Him, “what must we do to perform the works of God?” His response to them was not, “obey the 10 commandments.” He did not tell them make sacrifices at the temple, or keep the feasts. Not to say these lack importance; yet, they were not His answer.
Instead, His answer to them was, “This is the work of God, that you should believe in Him whom He has sent.”
Throughout Jesus’ teachings recorded in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), He spoke about belief. In fact, the word believe occurs 91 times in these four books. In my own journey, I’ve learned how relentlessly intentional God is. For Jesus to so emphasize belief throughout His teachings, I recognize how important one’s belief is to navigating life on earth.
Carolyn Leaf – a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist – states that, “as you think, feel, and choose your brain changes in response to your mind.”
One’s core beliefs are the foundation beneath what one thinks about and how one feels about these thoughts, which in turn governs the choices one makes.
Stated another way – Belief is the tap root source from which flows thought, feelings, and choices. Therefore, from my perspective, there is no greater question for each of us to answer than that of what we believe. I acknowledge that is both a broad and a vague statement. So allow me to draw the focus down a bit.
What we believe about God, and what we believe about ourselves in relationship to God, are the two most important questions we each need to answer. With the intentional, honest work of self-reflection / asking and exploring these questions, over time He will reveal to a receptive and searching heart what you believe about Him and about yourself. (In Chapter 3 of my book, “One Life” I share some of my own experiences.)
Therefore, let us explore the privilege of choice – and the consequences of our choices – in the context of belief.
In creating humanity, God took great risk in allowing us the privilege of choice. He longs for us to choose Him, yet He will not rob us of our free will. For control and love are mutually exclusive.
In the last blog, entitled “Growing Up,” we looked at the role of renewing our minds from that of an orphan to that of a son / child of our Heavenly Father, and His faithfulness to transform / mature us in the midst of life’s journey. At the core of this maturing process remains the privilege of choice. We get to choose how we respond – in a conversation, in a circumstance, to cultural norms, political agendas, the list goes on….
One potential response is to believe in the goodness of God, a goodness that transcends logic, reason, and even events occurring in time and space. This foundational belief creates opportunity to receive His revelation, see as He sees, and enter into His rest.
Another potential response is to harden one’s heart by not believing God, rejecting what one has been shown, and choose to continue ruling oneself instead of submitting to and choosing to trust God.
It takes courage to surrender.
In a teaching I once listened to, I heard the speaker – Sam Soleyn – explain belief and choice in the following way:
God always initiates because that is the nature of a Father. And He will keep on initiating His Love toward us in all the ways that we can see it. One of the reasons we go through trials is that we may see the goodness of God in our day. He is patient with our wrongdoings but He never confuses our wrongdoings with what is right. He is patient until we know exactly what is right and we make our choice.
In believing God and entering His rest (in the circumstances of suffering), a person learns the distinction between what one wants to do and what He created one to do. Rest is belief that God foreordained the courses of one’s life and He has determined each one’s purpose for being on the earth. Belief is that one actually accepts God’s plans for his life. In this place of rest, as a child of God, that purpose may be fully pursued from a state of complete trust in God. As a result, there remains no barrier to God functioning in and through that person as He intended in the earth. To will and to do as is His pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)
Choosing not to believe God (in the midst of suffering) is to harden one’s heart, which results in disobedience. Disobedience is the failure to enter God’s rest (Hebrews 4:6-7). Where fear rules in someone, that person does not enter into being led by the Spirit. In that place within the soul, the person remains an orphan, never accepting that he is a son.
There comes a time when, after God has dealt faithfully with a soul to show that person His goodness, He will then reveal how the person should view his life circumstances. In that moment, if the person chooses to reject God’s viewpoint, then he has hardened his heart (Hebrews 3:15-19).
I acknowledge the depth of this blog. Indeed, not a simple read. As I’ve sat with it this morning, I’ve read it several times. I encourage you – if you find value in it – to also listen or read it more than once. Soak, ponder, marinate – allow yourself to explore your personal beliefs and the choices that result from those beliefs.
Our choices matter.
