OF OUR OWN FREE WILL
"For if I do this work of my own free will, then I have my pay--my reward; but if it is not of my own will, but is done reluctantly and under compulsion, I am [still] entrusted with a [sacred] trusteeshipcommission" (1 Corinthians 9:17 AMP).
With every decision there are consequences [effects that follow]. God, by His decision, gave us the privilege of a "free will" [the ability to make decisions]. He has also arranged, that with every decision, there would be consequences (both rewards and losses). If we choose to put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will be saved from the eternal penalties of our sins. If we choose to follow Christ, then we will be subject to Him as our Lord.
In the very beginning of God's interaction with man, He made it clear that to choose , of our own free will, to worship and serve only Him, we would have life and blessing. And, to choose not to honor and obey Him, we would realize cursing and death. Only a fool will set out to make a decision without first counting the cost or considering the possible effects (consequences) it will bring.
No one is compelled to live for Christ in a corrupt society. But if we choose to do so, by our own free will, we must realize that as a consequence we are entrusted with a sacred commission: To be Christ's witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) and to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe everything that I (Jesus) have commanded you" (Matthew 28: 19-20). And, in fulfilling that commission, we must remember that, though we suffer as Christ suffered, we will be rewarded with a "crown of eternal blessedness" (1 Corinthians 9:25). Think about it.
"For if I do this work of my own free will, then I have my pay--my reward; but if it is not of my own will, but is done reluctantly and under compulsion, I am [still] entrusted with a [sacred] trusteeshipcommission" (1 Corinthians 9:17 AMP).
With every decision there are consequences [effects that follow]. God, by His decision, gave us the privilege of a "free will" [the ability to make decisions]. He has also arranged, that with every decision, there would be consequences (both rewards and losses). If we choose to put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will be saved from the eternal penalties of our sins. If we choose to follow Christ, then we will be subject to Him as our Lord.
In the very beginning of God's interaction with man, He made it clear that to choose , of our own free will, to worship and serve only Him, we would have life and blessing. And, to choose not to honor and obey Him, we would realize cursing and death. Only a fool will set out to make a decision without first counting the cost or considering the possible effects (consequences) it will bring.
No one is compelled to live for Christ in a corrupt society. But if we choose to do so, by our own free will, we must realize that as a consequence we are entrusted with a sacred commission: To be Christ's witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) and to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe everything that I (Jesus) have commanded you" (Matthew 28: 19-20). And, in fulfilling that commission, we must remember that, though we suffer as Christ suffered, we will be rewarded with a "crown of eternal blessedness" (1 Corinthians 9:25). Think about it.
© S.M. Hudson, Hidden Treasure Ministries, December 2003. All rights reserved.
Categories: forgiveness
