A thought by Max Lucado (2012-01-02) from his book, He Chose the Nails (p. 55). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
I know, I know. There are so many things about us that we are tempted to say are unfair. I mean, I should have been taller. I don’t have a weight problem, I have a height problem. Or whatever it is about you that you may not like.
Max says, “It would have been nice if God had let us order life, the same way we order a meal. I’ll take good health and a high IQ. I’ll pass on the music skills, but give me a fast metabolism . . . Would’ve been nice. But it didn’t happen. When it came to your life on earth, you weren’t given a voice or a vote. But when it comes to life after death, you were. In my book that seems like a good deal. Wouldn’t you agree?”
He goes on, “Have we been given any greater privilege than that of choice? Not only does this privilege offset any injustice, the gift of free will can offset any mistakes. Think about the thief who repented. Though we know little about him, we know this: he made some bad mistakes in life. He chose the wrong crowd, the wrong morals, the wrong behavior. But would you consider his life a waste? Is he spending eternity reaping the fruit of all the bad choices he made? No, just the opposite. He is enjoying the fruit of the one good choice he made. In the end, all his bad choices were redeemed by a solitary good one.”
Max says, “You’ve made some bad choices in life, haven’t you? You’ve chosen the wrong friends, maybe the wrong career, even the wrong spouse. You look back over your life and say, ‘If only . . . if only I could make up for those bad choices.’ You can. One good choice for eternity offsets a thousand bad ones on earth. The choice is yours.”
Max then says, “How could two men see the same Jesus and one choose to mock him and the other choose to pray to him? I don’t know, but they did. And when one prayed, Jesus loved him enough to save him. And when the other mocked, Jesus loved him enough to let him. He allowed him the choice. He does the same for you.”
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