For thought and meditation

[rl69]

Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant… ISAIAH 49:5
The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances— we are turned solely into servants of God’s own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God’s purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God’s great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in John 3:16— “For God so loved the world….”
We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.
Beware lest you forget God’s purpose for your life

[Wayne Smith]

Thank You. I am often very short sighted, seeing what is in front of me only. I need to lift my eyes up more frequently.

[USMC87]

Amen !

[dverna]

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”

Of course this is the precursor to the Flood. But the Flood did not change anything long term.

Man was designed by God to sin. Why He did this is unknown, but it seems proven in view of man's constant failures to please God. It is said by some that we are all sinners...I believe that is true. We try our best but we can never be perfect or even worthy. My weakness is women...if I do not control my desires, they will control me. We all have a weakness that can and will destroy us.

We could never be good enough to enter Heaven and so He sent His Son to pay our debt of sin.

[Blackwater]

I don't know it for a fact, Don, but my best answer is that it's possible He, in establishing a testing and proving ground that would determine who was and was not fit to enter Heaven, wanted a well-challenged and well proven group for expanding the ranks in Heaven. We are certainly sorely tempted, especially when young and exploring our world, and all it offers. We're easily led and tempted into sin. But we CAN learn, if we'll just allow ourselves to do that. Faith untested is faith unproven. And I think God wants proven winners for Heaven, and not pretenders, also-rans, etc. If God admitted even a single unworthy person into Heaven, it wouldn't be Heaven any more! So he sifts us all out, and finds those who have fought the good fight, and always returned to the fold, no matter what the temptation may have been.

That's my explanation, anyway. But it's an excellent question!