The Ball is in Your Court! Isn't that how it should be?

God will never twist your arm to get you to believe.  He is more of a still, small voice,  a niggling deep down in your soul.  He will never stop seeking you.  He will never stop wanting you to come to Him.  He is always waiting and watching patiently, and speaking quietly in quiet moments.

But the ball is in Your Court!  Isn't that how it should be?  When we love someone, we want them to love us back of their own volition, don't we?  We might think we would want to force them to love us, but would that be real love?  The Father is no different in that one respect.  He offers the free gift and all He asks is that we reach out and receive it.  And then we will see what He can do in one life, ours....Joy unspeakable, boundless love,  peace that passes understanding.  Why wouldn't you want that?

He is not a crutch.  He is hope, and peace, and love, and life.  I can tell you why you might not want that.  You might not want that because you fear you will lose control.  You might not want that because it requires something of you...complete surrender of yourself to Him.  For some,  there is nothing  scarier.  But let me tell you, losing your selfishness is not as hard as you think it is.  Especially when it is replaced with faith immeasurable.  I guarantee you, you will never be sorry.  You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by saying, "Yes, Lord!"

Image courtesy of Photobucket.com.

Behold What Manner of Love the Father has Given Unto Us...

1 John 3:1-10 (The Message)

 ¹ What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.  ^2-3But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.
 ^4-6All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God's order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They've got him all backward.
 ^7-8So, my dear children, don't let anyone divert you from the truth. It's the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil's ways.
 ^9-10People conceived and brought into life by God don't make a practice of sin. How could they? God's seed is deep within them, making them who they are. It's not in the nature of the God-begotten to practice and parade sin. Here's how you tell the difference between God's children and the Devil's children: The one who won't practice righteous ways isn't from God, nor is the one who won't love brother or sister. A simple test.