Yesterday, I heard the voice of the Spirit. The conversation was clear, audible, and specific. God’s voice gave me a sense of where certain issues were at and what, at the appropriate moment, I was supposed to do about them on His behalf. My feeling at the time was peace, assurance, and an excitement that carried strength. The rest of the day I tried to pretend as if my morning was a blank that it was nothing out of the ordinary, and that life was going on. It was as if I wanted to imagine God’s voice away.
You and I both talk a good game. We know the athletic move, we sense God’s offer, and we confront the reality of life every day. We understand that life can be difficult, so we “suck it up and get on with things”. We talk, but do we listen to God? What are we hearing from the Spirit? Do we really have open ears? Do we understand what we are hearing? Is it truth?
I find myself falling into the trap that everything will work out for everyone. I know I want that to be true. I believe God also would give anything to make it so. But, and it is a big conditional “but”, we have a choice! What do we want? Is God a softy that will rescue everyone in the end? Is God someone who takes everyone to heaven regardless of what choices people make? Why is there such a conflict about this?
“God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life change.” (Romans 2.4) God is a softy because he rescued everyone by His action at Calvary. Past, present, and future all have the assurance of eternal relationship because of Jesus. God accepts everyone unconditionally because of Jesus, regardless of behavior!
Our response expresses our willingness to accept God’s gift. God knows the outcome of our natural choices. God leads us towards heaven on earth. Do we want to follow?
