It has been a long time since my last post. A lot has happened since then as well...
I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine. We were discussing the need for a savior and why. Some of the thoughts that we talked about, I myself have had...such as...
Why the need for a blood sacrifice?
Why did Jesus have to die in such an agonizing way?
Did God throw us into water to drown, so that we may see the life we have in Jesus?
I keep going back to the very beginning... the ultimate fall of man when Adam and Eve ate from the tree. I believe that God had desired the best for them. They didn't know the difference between right and wrong, all they knew was right. they had the option to live forever...something that mankind was thought of ever since. It was right there for them to grasp, but instead, they ate from the other tree.
The thought then goes through my head...Why did God put that tree in the garden...didn't He know that this was going to happen...
Of course, once you open that can of worms, you start bringing into question God's Omniscience...Of course he knew!...so why did it all happen.
So Here's my theory...this is what I believe.
The greatest gift that we have ever been given is Jesus. He died on the cross and took away our sins so that we can have the opportunity to live forever...that is what the Gospels are all about.
The second greatest gift is the ability to choose...Free choice...free will... and sometimes that will is stubborn.
Right from the beginning, God gave us the right to choose what we wanted. He gave us jobs to do...things that would help us grow and mature, but we had the right to choose what we did and didn't want to do.
He gave those choices to the angels as well... beings that had been created before the birth of man. Some angels chose to disobey God and they wanted to rule in his place...They were cast out of God's presence and left to fend for themselves on earth. Now when man was created, these serpents cast out from heaven decided once again to ruin God's perfect society...and they whispered lies into their ears...and they eventually ate from the wrong tree...
God knew this was going to happen, so it wasn't a surprise...Don't ever think that it is...
In my opinion... God desires that experience true love...I'm not talking about the love of a man and a woman...I'm talking about the love between Man (or Woman) and God. God has loved us from the very beginning...He takes joy in all the good that we do. He has promised blessings...which I think is Joy itself.
But He doesn't force us to love him back. Forced love is no love at all...He gives us the choice to love Him.
When Adam and Eve ate the apple( or fruit...it's just easier to use the imagery), they put into motion the things that would happen; the outcome for the rest of OUR lives. It became apart of who we are. It was built into our DNA. They couldn't take it back.
God showed them the path to destruction...and said to them..."now that you know the roads set before you, chose the once that leads back to ME...I will show you love that you have never imagined. You will feel Joy the likes know one has ever seen. Together, we can do anything...ANYTHING... but apart from me you can do nothing..."
He's not selfish in the ways that we think are selfish...( i know that is what the Bible says..)If He was selfish, would he have given those first two people the ability to choose. He is a giving God, ONE that desires the best for us.
So, what are we going to chose...
The rest of the Bible is about how God has loved his people, and has reached out to them in love.
There's more in my head...but this is getting long...
Until next time...(hopefully tomorrow)
