Freedom To Choose

When you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will. Leviticus 22:29.

God set us apart for fellowship with Him. But He also gave us free will that was put to the test. One tree in the luscious Garden of Eden symbolized the knowledge of good and evil, and God said, “You shall not eat.” Adam and Eve ate and violated what they knew to be God’s will (see Romans 5:12–19; Genesis 3:1–8; 1 Timothy 2:13–14). God could have created human robots who would respond mechanically to His direction. But instead, God created us in His image, and He desires that the creature worship the Creator as a response of love. This can be accomplished when “free will” is exercised. Love and obedience which are forced do not satisfy. God wants obedient followers, not machines. A pastor friend once told of his son who was attending a state university and becoming “very wise.” “Dad,” he said to his father one day, “I’m not sure that when I get out of school I will be able to follow you in your Christian faith.” The father looked at him with compassion and replied, “Son, that is your freedom—your terrible freedom.” Freedom to choose results in God’s blessing or the consequences of disobedience to His will. We can exercise our freedom to love God with our obedience or we can rebel and build our lives without Him. Choose to follow Christ.

Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : Daily Devotions to Renew Your Mind and Inspire Your Soul (a 365-Day Devotional), Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-10-06 15:36:56.