God's Dilemma, Part III

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (1)

"You see, God has some rules that He expects His children to obey. Let me list some of them. Don't worship false gods. Don't speak the name of God irreverently. Keep your promises. Rest on the Sabbath. Obey your parents. Don't kill. Don't hate anyone. Don't commit adultery. Don't steal. Don't lie. Don't even covet that which isn't yours. These are God's rules.

And there is good reason for them. Take for example the very last and least of these rules: don't covet. Do you know how much pain and suffering have been brought into this world by people who want something that doesn't belong to them? Millions of people have died because of it. Saddam Hussein coveted Kuwait. Hitler coveted the world. When we break God's rules, we cause others to suffer. That is why God must eventually do away with everyone who breaks His rules.

"Maybe you're not as bad as Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler. You may be only in the early stages of the cancer of sin. But God has a very high standard, and sin will eventually corrupt you completely.

"So, although we are deeply flawed, and frankly deserve to die, God loves us. That is God's dilemma. Someday soon he has to act decisively to bring an end to evil, yet He can't bear to give up on us. What's God to do? Well, here's what: God devised an amazing plan to repair and restore those who will cooperate with Him...

"So, friend, even if you are a mouse in the house, there is hope for you. God loves mice. They have great potential. In fact, He has come up with a plan for taming them and turning them into pampered pets.

"Let's use another metaphor. God wants to adopt you as a son or daughter and make you a member of the household. So He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to pay the price for sin and to invite all who believed His message to join the family. John 1:12 says, 'To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.' Galatians 3:26 says, 'You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.'

"Friend, you may not understand it all yet. But right now God is knocking on the door of your heart, saying, 'Let Me into your life. Put your trust in Me today. Let Me make you a member of the family. I will give your life meaning. Just say yes to My Spirit right now.'

"All you have to do is open the door." (2)

1. Revelation 3:20.
2. Things God Can Do With Ashes, pp. 15, 16.