Perhaps one of the reasons God is so merciful to us is that we did not choose to be here. We did not choose our parents or the day of our birth.
We did not choose to be tall or short, blond or brunette, white or black. We did not choose the social economic class of our childhood. Because so
many of the characteristics that determine who we are were not our doing, God goes easy on us. While it is true as adults we choose, the choices we make are very heavily weighted by things we did not choose.
Surely God must take great interest in what we do with what we got. It is impossible to become a Ferrari if one is born with Volkswagen parts. The interesting drama is will we choose to be the best Volkswagen possible. All are not born equal.
Now comes the good part. II Peter 1:4 says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.” Peter is talking about now, not something in the future. By partaking of the divine nature we can safely assume we will receive power to make the most of what we got from Mom and Dad. We cannot blame them for our failures or lack of success because God is there to enable us to maximize each gift. Jesus once told a parable about a man who used his talents so well his master gave him more. I love this story. If we wisely use what we have, God is anxious to start slipping us Ferrari parts.
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 11, 2008
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