Category: Free will

Free will

Ruth Kirk

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life (Deuteronomy 30:19; NLT).

Introduction
Recently, with a very significant decision to make, I asked God, “Where do you want me to be?” Then God showed me very clearly that the choice is up to me, because God has given me free will.

Yahweh loves us all just the same, whatever decisions we make, and whatever path through life we take. We all have free will, and can choose our own way.

Oneness
The Bible teaches that we all come from oneness with God, and whatever choices we make, we all return to our Creator:

  • I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5; NLT).
  • The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; KJV).
  • The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).

After death, then, we will all be one with God again, just as we were before our birth.

Choices
Our origin and final destination remain the same, whether we go through life consciously choosing to relate to, or to reject, God. Either way, life is not an easy journey. Rather, it is our personal opportunity to seek our Creator, and to experience living in relationship with God. This is an entirely free choice.

Free will
If we choose to face life with God, rather than without, all we need do is to turn to God, and ask for help. Astonishingly, this is because:

The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT)

Conclusion
Life is our opportunity to seek and find God, who wants us to experience true freedom. Through our moment-to-moment exercise of free will in God’s company we can learn, change and grow. This profoundly healing process is open to us all.

I am the LORD who heals you (Exodus 15:26; NLT).

References

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. (Luke 11:9; NLT).

If the Son sets you free, you are truly free (John 8:36; NLT).

 

Life

Ruth Kirk

Your life is a journey (1 Peter 1:18; The Message).

Life is a circular journey. We move from being one with God beyond space and time, to being born into a particular body, time, place and set of circumstances. Each of us is born as a unique individual with free will. We only get one shot at finding out who we are, and learning to be authentically ourselves.

Our exile here on earth is a journey back to God. Along the way, we experience our own unique joys and sorrows, successes and failures, tests and trials. We discover our limitations, and develop our own boundaries. We are fragile, so along the way we can get sick or damaged, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.

Life is a healing process. Everything we experience offers us opportunities to learn, grow and reach as much of our individual potential as we can. We can do this whilst excluding God completely, or whilst sharing the process with Him as much as we want to.

When we share ourselves honestly with God, we can grow in oneness with Him during our time here. We have Jesus as our example, and His Holy Spirit as our guide and helper.

By the time we die we have come almost full circle, and our journey towards healing is almost finished.  At death we return to our original, absolute oneness with God. Then our journey is over, and our healing process is complete.

The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever (Revelation 21:4; NLT).

References

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5; NLT).

The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; KJV).

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; NLT).

Think of it – the LORD is ready to heal me! (Isaiah 38:20; NLT).

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God (1 Peter 1:18; The Message).

 

Freedom

Ruth Kirk

If the Son sets you free, you are truly free (John 8:36; NLT).

No one can tell me who I should be,
Or what to believe.
No one can tell me how I should feel,
Or what to perceive.

No one can tell me what I should think,
Or what to explore.
No one can tell me what I should love,
Or what to abhor.

No one can tell me what I should say,
Or what to conceal.
No one can tell me what I should hide,
Or what to reveal.

No one can tell me what I should bear,
Or what to condone.
No one can tell me how I should live,
But Jesus alone.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NIV).

References 

Many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:66-9; NLT).

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).

My wi-fi

Ruth Kirk

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18; NLT).

My cross is my wi-fi connection
To you,

For the cross which I hold
Is your cross, which we share.

It guides, helps, and teaches me,
Comforts me, too,

And constantly links me to you, Lord,
In prayer.

Pray constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

References

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34; NLT).

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed (1 Peter 2:24; NLT).

Day after day he bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; CSB).

In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).

Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

Just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5; NIV).

The LORD hears my voice (Psalm 55:17; NLT).

Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening (1 Samuel 3:9; NIV).

Emotional healing

Ruth Kirk

I’m in London today, facing a battery of specialised medical tests. It’s only 5am, but I’m having a very early breakfast, as I have to fast for several hours before arriving at the hospital.

This blog considers how free-will, honesty and forgiveness contribute to emotional healing. Each of these factors builds on the one before, until healing is complete. This completion can take place progressively, during life, or instantaneously, at death, when we meet Christ face to face.

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18; NKJV). 

Introduction
Emotional healing is a lifelong process of personal growth in mind, heart and soul. It is brought about by revelation and personal insight, which gradually help us to change how we think, speak, behave and feel.

1. Free-will
Let’s begin with free-will. In order to be healthy, all personal change needs to be based on independent choice. Changes which are expected, required, demanded, imposed, or forced upon us by others can never bring about deep, inner healing.

2. Honesty
Similarly, if we try to make ourselves change in order to become an idealised version of ourselves, we are only suppressing how we honestly feel or think, and what we really want to say or do. This is a very unhealthy, incongruent and inauthentic way to live, which stores up further emotional problems for the future. There is no substitute for learning to speak the truth in love.

3. Forgiveness
Next comes forgiveness, another essential, inescapable aspect of inner healing. It can take years to feel forgiven for all the bad things we have thought, said and done. Furthermore, genuinely forgiving those who have hurt us can be equally difficult.

This process is facilitated by being honest with those who have hurt us, forgiving them, and working towards reconciliation, if possible. We can also apologise to those we have hurt, asking them to forgive us.

If those involved are no longer available, all this can still be done through honest prayer.

4. Emotional healing
Free-will, honesty and forgiveness help us to take responsibility for fostering the long-term healing God offers. We can do this by:

  • Being honest with ourselves, others and God
  • Developing insight into ourselves and our behaviour
  • Praying simply and honestly, as children do
  • Learning from experience
  • Learning from books
  • Learning from good role-models
  • Offering healthy, honest, equal, loving relationships to everyone

As we change and grow, we can slowly be healed in mind, heart and soul over the course of our lifetime. Gradually our thinking, speech and behaviour become more honest, more loving, and more genuinely aligned with God’s will for us, progressively promoting our emotional healing.

Conclusion
Through reflecting on the role of free-will, honesty and forgiveness in the process of emotional healing, I have come to see these four concepts as being essentially indivisible. Thus, as we freely choose to become more honest, more forgiving, and more Christ-like, we are slowly healed in mind, heart and soul.

I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).

 

Heaven on earth

Ruth Kirk

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; RSV). 

During an on-line conversation yesterday morning, a friend and I were discussing free will. I was praying in between reading and responding to their messages, and suddenly saw that when everyone freely chooses to do God’s will out of love, we will all live in heaven on earth.

Until that blessed day arrives, each of us can help the world to move towards it, by treating everyone with love, no matter how they behave towards us.

All this became much clearer in my mind when I was praying at bedtime: we can live in heaven on earth individually, and we can also live this way collectively. Free will means that the choice is ours.

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

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).