I am sure you have already memorized this one, and in the right order too, so let’s say it together:
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” Jn 3:30 ESV
So once we are sincerely born again, we enter into this second calling, Sanctification. I mean this makes sense, doesn’t it? Think about a baby that is newly born. He automatically enters into the process of growing older, right? So long as his parents feed him and nurture him, he is going to grow. That is life. Same idea here. Once we are born again, God starts urging us to grow up. I did a whole talk about the difference between growing old and growing up…I will put the link below if you want to check it out…because there is a huge difference between the two. So God desires to transform us into the likeness of Jesus, (Ro 8:29) that was His original design (Gen 1:26) and now He is working towards bringing us back to, and as close to, that as He can. Now of course, God can do anything, but because He loves us, He will never force us to change. Love has nothing to do with oppression, thus Free Will. God gives us a choice…again I point you to the powerful verse from last week. We must decide which we will choose, life or death.
God has told me so very many times, “Child, I work with what I am given.” That’s Love, my Fiends! God can make us change, but He is not willing to coerce us into that change. Oh don’t mistake this here. God will pursue us. He will urge us. He will move mountains if He has to in order to encourage us to want to change, but God will never give us no choice. Love offers Itself, then allows the other person to decide for themselves. And since God knows the depths of our hearts, He knows when, where and how we will surrender and submit to His Loving Grace so we CAN change. This is what He did for me. There in that dark and scary PICU room, as my daughter fell into that first coma, with cancer still spreading within her, God knew I would finally come to the end of my stubborn, selfish Self and I would surrender myself into His waiting and loving arms! Sometimes this is what it takes to gain Eternity…if you have never received Jesus as your Savior and Lord, won’t you learn from me. Choose Life today. Allow what I have gone through to be your call. If you do, you will make what Beckie went through so much more valuable. Thank you…we will warp it tomorrow.
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
9- 1Pe 5:7
10- Jn 8:32
11- Dt 30:19
12- Jn 3:30
<>< Peace, Diane
