Reading: Isaiah 55:10,11, Matthew 5:45, and Chronicles
"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth..." Isaiah 55:10 NKJ
"...your Father in Heaven... makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." Matthew 4:45 NKJ
Have you ever stopped and considered the blessing of rain and snow. Some years back, I painted a small landscape piece called Water of Life. The image came from my mom's ranch; which is in the foothills of the Oregon Cascade Mountain range. Above her ranch is a large volcano, that is covered with snow most of the year. We see it from down here in the valley, a huge sentinel rising in the east above our city. As the snow melts; it fills lakes and rivers that come down and wind through valleys, watering trees and greening pastures. Even in the heat of the summer the snow on that mountain (and another mountain), provides irrigation for ranches, and even our city water. It blesses everyone who uses it as it winds through the valleys on its way to the sea.
In the Isaiah verse above, God's word is compared to rain and snow. Just as He showers all people with the blessing of His rain and snow; so His word graciously goes out to all, to everyone on the earth and blesses those who will listen. Do we as people really have any choice, or is this all predetermined? Some people teach that we have no choice, that it is all predetermined. I believe that there is a great mystery at work here... that I can not even begin to explain. To explain this one would be to enlarge myself and diminish the glory and mystery of God. I think it best to see what God chooses to reveal to us in His word. One thing I see is that through out the Bible, from beginning to the end people are making choices... good ones and some really bad ones, too. The list is so huge I do not have the time and space to enumerate them. (Though, I will add a post with a letter from a friend who does a great job with this.) Secondly, I see places that indicate God's choosing at work as well. In attempting to explain the mysteries here, people can get carried away on either side of the debate and try to explain the interface of the Sovereign choice of God and the choice of human beings. In fact through history, in trying to explain this mystery people have got caught up in heated disputes, division and pride on both sides; none of which is becoming as a child of God; nor has this kind of attitude helped people to come to Christ. Should any of us mere mortals be in the business of evaluating who is and who is not chosen? And worse yet, tell someone that they are not chosen? Many have tragically fallen away because of this.
Thirdly, I also see in my own reading and understanding of God's word is a God who is seeking those whose hearts are loyal and turned toward Him. The word indicates that we have a choice in this matter. King David told his son Solomon the following as he was preparing him to be the king of Israel.
"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast your off forever. " 1Chronicles 28:9 NKJ
Though we can not know God without Him revealing Himself to us; He does reveal Himself through His word and when we spend time coming into His Presence, by faith. When we turn to Him, seek Him, we will find Him. He desires to reveal Himself, even more than we desire to find Him.
What better legacy could we pass on to our children than teach them to choose to seek and love God with whole hearted devotion and a mind willing to obey Him? God gives this command through Moses:
"Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words I command you shall be in your heart You shall diligently teach them to your children..." Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 NKJ
Then he goes on and explains all the ways to teach these things to your children... "talk about them as you sit in your house, walk by the way, lie down and rise up..."
Back to our verse in I Chronicles it says that the Lord is searching the hearts of people. Why is He doing that? This verse in II Chronicles gives us a glimpse:
"The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed (loyal) to Him." II Chronicles 16:9 NLT
As His eyes search the whole earth, He seeking just a little flicker of faith that He can strengthen.
Why would He search the whole earth for committed hearts if this was completely predetermined? Should we even concern ourselves with who is and is not chosen? Is it not better for each and everyone of us to fully commit to God with our whole heart and encourage all others who will listen to do the same?
