Freelance writer Lupie Riley

Thought:  Webster’s definition of free will is the belief or discretion to choose freely.  What does that have to do with people? 

In the beginning God put the tree of knowledge in the garden of Eden because he had created our first parents with the ability to choose right from wrong.  Right would have been for Adam and Eve to obey God’s instructions but they exercised their free will and chose to disobey.  Their choice brought sin and death into the world.  From then on sin was a part of humanity’s life.

God wanted a unique people who would choose to love Him.  Love cannot be programmed or forced, it’s a gift that allows us to love him freely or the choice to reject him.  He has given us His biography to let us know who he is and what he’s done for us because of his love.  He defeated what Satan had brought into the world by his resurrection and sacrifice of his body for all the sins of the world.

We already have a spirit that is immortal with only two places of it’s destination, heaven or hell which is eternal separation from God. Our Creator Father has revealed himself three-fold in One.  Spirit, Son (God in the flesh) and the Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of Christ.  We also are three-fold in one ourselves. This does not make us little God’s but in essence we are like him.  We have an immortal spirit that was given to us at birth, a soul which is our identity (He knows us by name) which makes us all different in personalities, colors, and shapes.  Then comes our physical bodies that will someday be made over to live forever, like Jesus body after resurrection. He walked through walls, ate with the disciples, and arose at his ascension into Heaven where he is now our intercessor and priest.  He also returned in Spirit to indwell all those who believed in who he is and what he accomplished on the cross.  When we accept Jesus into our life he gives us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life in Heaven, our forever home.  When he returns to gather us up our physical bodies will be transformed like his that will live forever.  II Cor. 5:1-5 “For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have wonderful new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself, and not by human hands.  How weary we grow of our present bodies.  That is why we look forward eagerly to the day when we shall have heavenly bodies which we shall put on like new clothes.  For we shall not be merely spirits without bodies.  These earthly bodies make us groan and sigh, but we wouldn’t like to think of dying and having no bodies at all.  We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will, as it were, be swallowed up by everlasting life.  This is what God has prepared for us and, as a guarantee, he has given us his Holy Spirit.”

What a grand future we have ahead of us, this is our blessed hope.  We will someday soon leave all this behind us for a better world ahead of us.  I Thess. 4:16-18.  “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a mighty shout and with the soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet-call of God.  And the believers who are dead will be the first to rise to meet the Lord.  Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.  So, comfort and encourage each other with this news.”

Are you in that safe place when the trumpet blows and believers are called up to meet the Lord in the air?  Prophecy is taking place right before our eyes and time is short. He’s coming soon to call up his own.

Prayer:  Father God thank you for that blessed hope we have of those new bodies and living in the home you have prepared for us.  Amen

Verse:  II Cor. 4:18”So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen.  The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”

Married 58 years, four children, nine grandchildren and three greats.  I've been a freelance writer for over 40 years.  Working on a book at the present.  My priorities are God first, family, country. Look me up on Google search by my name Lupie Riley, click on first link. Faithwriters.com