Free will… a matter of choice

“What do you have to say?” he said looking at me with stern, dark eyes. I lifted my head and tried to hold his gaze but soon dropped my head again and just shrugged. I could hear him get up from the table and come closer to me. Sitting on the edge of it so close I could smell his cologne, he whispered, “I know your secret.” With that he shuffled away and I heard the door slam.

Now in my third hour of questioning, I was suspected of being involved in a robbery of a liquor store not far from where I lived. As the detective left I lifted my head enough to see that the room was now empty, but I was sure that I was being watched through the two-way glass to my right. I wondered how much longer could they keep me. There was no evidence.

Earlier in the week I had been drinking at my neighbor’s house and had heard plans being made for the robbery. In fact, I had been asked if I wanted to ‘get a piece of the action’ but turned them down. Now I had a decision to make. Was I going to roll over on my friends or keep my mouth shut and wait it out.

As I was thinking, the detective returned and I could see that he had another cop with him. I knew this guy from a bar I used to hang around. I was pretty sure it was time for good cop/bad cop and I was right. The new guy, who I knew as Ted, drew up a chair next to me and began to talk as if we were best friends, “John, we know you’re not involved and just want whatever information you have…then you will be free to go, just give us a few names.” I stared blankly at him and shook my head. Bad cop was next, “You can and will be charged with withholding information. That brings some hard time with it…. It is your choice.” My choice, I thought. How was I going to choose?

Do we really have choices in this life or are we just pawns in a game, our lives predestined like I have heard even some Christian denominations espouse? I found myself confronted with this question many times in my life before and even after I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Do we really have free will?

So, as I struggled with this at an earlier time in my life, I read all kinds of books but none of them made any sense until I read the Word of God for myself. When I did I saw from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden that man and woman had a choice. They had this perfect world and with hundreds and thousands of good things to choose from and just one bad thing God warns them about, “…You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden. But you must not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, if you do you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2: 16b -17) Some would and do ask why was there a need for this tree to be there? Why not just have a perfect world where no choices need to be made? The only answer is, that would mean God created not humans but robots. From the beginning, we were given free will and a choice to make.

The Bible is full of people making wrong choices, from Eve choosing to believe Satan’s lie to Peter’s denials. The common thread in all those stories is that even when we do make choices that should doom us God has a plan to save us and they all culminate in Jesus. And in the ultimate choice, faith.

One of the great free will statements in the Bible comes from one of my favorite books, Joshua. It is about the Israelites right after Moses dies. They come into the land of their inheritance, later known as Israel. There they fight for the land and with God’s power conquer many nations. At the end of the book Joshua, who had been their leader after Moses gives them a choice, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers served in the region beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24: 15) Joshua gives them choices and states he has already made his choice, faith, and trust in the one true God. You and I have that same choice today. We can serve the gods of this modern world or choose the one who already died to save us all.

In that room years ago I had a choice to make. At that time, I had no faith, no moral compass to guide me, I did not know Jesus. Questioned, threatened, and cursed at for hours I held on to the idea of honor among thieves. I was released the next morning. Later I learned that when my friends had been caught, that they tried to implicate me and I felt my choices once again had failed me. These days I still choose the wrong way especially when I do not trust those choices to Him who knows the beginning from the end. May we all like Joshua be able to say, “….But for me and my house, we choose to serve the LORD,” That is my prayer today.
Blessings John
9/11/17

Waiting on the green light….

The traffic crawled southbound on highway 75. Evacuees from Florida heading back to their devastated homes. We were driving north to Macon for our Tuesday Celebrating Life in Recovery meeting a day after hurricane Irma had ripped thru several states including here in Georgia.

On Monday as I was sitting here writing my blog, we lost power. Throughout the day the storm grew in intensity. At one point, we ventured out to deliver a birthday present to our grandson driving through the area where at least one tree had brought down the power lines which had caused our black out. All along the way was rain and wind-driven damage. But we felt blessed and prayerful because we knew the destruction would not approach what Texas and now Florida was suffering through.

Once we returned home we spent the rest of the day watching the storm as it approached, was right over and finally moved past us. By 4:00 pm things began to calm down. We knew it would be a night without power and as the daylight faded we headed to bed thankful and thoughtful of God’s mercy.
As I was lying in bed in the pitch blackness, I noticed something was missing, something I had never noticed before. The green light of electric razor’s power charger was not glowing. I knew why for sure, but I guess I had never thought of how that soft green light had affected me during the night. As I lay there now I knew that I was missing the comfort of its glow. Strangely it led me to think how often we spend time waiting for a green light.

My disjointed thoughts turned to what Jesus said when He gave us the great commission, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15) Wow, that seemed to be quite a jump from missing a soft glowing green light to thinking about some of the last words spoken by the Savior. But maybe not.

It is true that I hate red lights and am always jockeying to hit an intersection when I have the green. But when it comes to my “green light” to go into the world and spread the Good News. It seems I am willing to sit at red all day or maybe for an eternity.

There are some days that I do not even speak about the saving power of Jesus with anyone my wife or do a thing to show the love His love either. Yes, three days a week I write this blog trying to share what the Lord has done in my life in hopes that it will touch someone out in cyber space. Praying that it spreads the Good News of Jesus Christ. But is that enough? Is there more?

My favorite Christian author, Ellen White, wrote this,” The Spirit and the bride say, Come.” (Revelation 22: 17) Everyone who hears is to repeat the invitation. Whatever one’s calling in life, his first interest should be to win souls to Christ. He may not be able to speak to congregations, but he can work for individuals. To them he can communicate instructions received from his Lord. Ministry does not consist alone in preaching. Those minister who relieve the sick and suffering, helping the needy, speaking words of comfort to the desponding and those of little faith. Nigh and afar off are souls weighed down by a sense of guilt. It is not hardship, toil, or poverty that degrades humanity. It is guilt, wrongdoing. This brings dissatisfaction. Christ would have His servants minister to sin-sick souls.” (Go Teach All Nations, Chapter 86, page 822)

It is easy enough to think that my ‘go’ is limited to ideas and words. But am I living the Gospel message? Today I have to say no. The problem is that I am not alone. Most of us who claim to be followers of Jesus can talk the talk, but when it comes to walking the walk…. Well, that might be outside our comfort zone. And I know in my heart that is exactly where we should be.

In Mark 15:16 Jesus said to go. The next word is ‘preach’ but it is better translated, proclaim. And what better way to do that then live a life where we are not just sharing what Jesus said, but doing as He did. Being a servant to all…tall order for all of us idling at the red light, but not impossible if we are seeking the Holy Spirit’s leading throughout each day.

We got our power back on yesterday after 30 some hours, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the local power company working around the clock. Our thanks to them here and in all the hurricane affected areas. Last night as I was staring at the greenish glow once again there to comfort me. I felt a little uncomfortable too. It is said the Lord works in mysterious ways. Today I am in awe of that again. While waiting for the green light, He reminded me, green means go and today I know He is asking me to do just that. My prayer is I will in every way. How about you?
Blessings John
9/13/17

 

Judge not…love a lot…

The district attorney said, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” pointing his finger at the accused man, “this man, Tom Gleason, is charged with Robbery and Assault with intent to do bodily harm. We will prove beyond any reasonable doubt that he is guilty as charged…”

I sat in the back row of the jury box and was trying to listen intently to what the DA was saying. The defense attorney had already told us that his client was a victim of circumstances and we needed to look at ALL the evidence before deciding. Now everything he had said seemed to be refuted by the sharp dressed lawyer pacing before us.

I had been called to jury duty three weeks before when an official looking letter arrived at the house. I was summoned to be available for this week in June. Once I had arrived at the courthouse and was sworn in, I never suspected that I would actually be impaneled on a jury but here I was looking at the accused man, thinking, “How am I ever going to be impartial in judgement of a man who is accused of doing things I had already done myself?” True enough, I had never been arrested for the crimes but it did not mean I had not done them. What would qualify me to judge this guy?

The DA put his case on throughout the first day. Witness after witness ended their testimony by pointing a finger at the accused and stating clearly that he was the man who perpetrated the crime. The defense attorney seemed to do very little to rebuke any of the accumulating evidence against his client. Even I was starting to be convinced that this guy was guilty. Maybe the DA had good reason to look so smug as he rested his case.

The next day it was the defenses’ turn. This time we heard testimony that the defendant was just a good man in a bad situation. Even if it was true he was near the scene of the crime when it occurred he had not done it, clearly it was a case of mistaken identity. A friend stated that he was with the man at that time and assured us he didn’t do it. A relative said she was on the phone with him at the time the crime was committed. Character witnesses that stated what an upstanding family man Tom Gleason was. I could feel that my confidence in his guilt being eroded. And as the lawyers made their summations I was not sure what I was going to do.

Jesus said this, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7: 1-3)
How often am I guilty of this? I would say it is so often that I am embarrassed to admit it. How many times have I convicted someone of an offense without any evidence or even seeking an explanation? Again, the answer is, too often. My problem is, how do I practically go about changing this attitude? Jesus answer comes in the next verse.

He compliments verses 1-3 in Chapter 7 of Matthew by saying, “You hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7: 4) Simple but effective. Maybe if I stop for just an instant, remember who I am, a guilty sinner. Stop and give the Holy Spirit the time to speak instead of me. The log would fall away and I could see the person standing in front of me more clearly. I could be humbled and helpful not judge and jury.

It really comes down to love. Stated best by the apostle Paul, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-5) If we are not envious, boastful, or proud. When we are not dishonoring others, seeking to please ourselves or easily angered. When we keep no scoreboard of wrong doing. Then we might find we have nothing to judge others about. Then maybe we will listen more and speak less.

I did sit in judgement on that jury years ago. The other jurors opinions of the man’s guilt convinced me. But as I sat looking at him while the judge pronounced his sentence, I was the one who felt guilty. I am glad I have never had to do that again. But am ashamed to admit I have sat in judgement of others in my everyday life way too often. Today it is my prayer to have the ‘love words’ from First Corinthians in my heart and mind. To listen before I speak. And to judge not lest I be judged. It is also my prayer for this world of conflicting views and for you.
Blessings John
9/8/17