Scriptural Reference:
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
1 Corinthians 10:13

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."
Galatians 5:13

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."
Proverbs 16:9

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
Revelation 3:20

Reflection:
To begin with I'd like to post several images of Jesus knocking at a front door.

Each of these images portrays Jesus the Christ at a front door and knocking. They also all have one very important thing that is missing. That's an external door knob. In every painting I have found there is no outside door knob. Making it impossible for someone outside to open the door and let them in. The message here is clearly expressed. That is that Jesus the Christ knocks at the door and waits for the person within to make a Free Will choice to let the Lord enter. This is in the same way the Lord will not force Himself into someone's life. Jesus will let each person have the Free Will to make the choice to invite Him into their heart and their life. For God has given us our Free Will.

So, what exactly is Free Will? It's the belief that God has given us the ability to choose between good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and wickedness. Ultimately, it's our responsibility to decide which direction we want to take in our everyday lives. God is in control of everything, but at the same time, we have the freedom to make our own choices and are accountable for them. You may wish to think about it in this manner: To begin with we are completely dependent on God's perfect grace. It's only because of His love and compassion that we exist as we are (1 Corinthians 15:10). So here we may conclude that if humans have the ability to make choices that truly impact their future, then they do possess the Free Will God has given them. That is to choose to accept Jesus as their saviour. Or to turn and do whatever we believe is best for us. Gods' grace afforded to us extends to both His acceptance after we turn to Him and Call on the name of Jesus His Son. It also extends to allowing us that Free Will. Our choice as to what future we desire.

Through the sinful state of the world today we can trace it the ramifications of poor choices of Free Will. Back to the decisions made by Adam and Eve. God made mankind in His likeness, which also meant giving them the freedom to choose. God didn't make robots that only did what He told them to. So how did things go so wrong? Why did Adam and Eve decide to choose the wrong thing? Simply put Free Will is not absolute; it is constrained by our nature. For instance, we can choose to walk across a bridge or not, but we cannot choose to fly over it because it goes against our natural abilities. Similarly, we cannot make ourselves righteous due to our sinful nature, which prevents us from erasing our guilt (Romans 3:23). Our choices are limited by our inherent nature.

As Christians we know that Free Will is a wonderful blessing from God. And that it can play a crucial role in comprehending the workings of the world through a Christian lens. Essentially, Free Will is the belief that God has given humans the ability to choose their own moral paths: whether it is good or bad, right or wrong, virtuous or wicked. Ultimately, the decision lies in our own hands as we navigate through our everyday existence. As we encounter both good and bad people. There is no external force that forces us to commit evil deeds; it all comes down to our personal choices.

How often do we as Christians stop and ponder what we are doing? Or equally we may ask how often do we weigh up and measure the value of our choices. Of course some choices are minuscule. What cereal do I eat or do I skip breakfast. While some other decisions can have long term ripple effects. Such as sharing a piece of gossip that someone has told us at church. The value and impact of choices can cause us trouble.

There has been discussion as to how Free Will and predestination either compare of conflict. To look at these two we can consider that in the broader scope of existence, predestination dictates that both the natural laws and ethical guidelines are established by God, decreed solely by God's divine power. However, individuals retain the freedom to either follow or transgress these laws, and they will be held accountable for their choices. We can easily see how bad choices have tarnished the land and scared many people. The division between the two concepts is sadly entrenched. Those who favour one side over the other will do so in such an extremist attitude that they will not even consider if there is any truth in the other position. Those who stress God's sovereignty in predestining salvation may lean towards hard determinism or fatalism. While on the other hand, those who highlight human Free Will may end up undermining God's sovereignty. Yet, if we look at it from a biblical perspective, the debate shouldn't be about predestination versus Free Will, but rather about predestination alongside a Free Will.

Predestination is a clear biblical teaching. God has complete control over everything, including the salvation of individuals. At the same time, we are accountable for our choices regarding our salvation. These concepts can coexist without contradiction. Throughout the Bible, God urges us to make decisions and have faith in Christ for our salvation. It is important to follow these instructions, even if we struggle to fully grasp the idea of predestination. In other words God is constantly showing us the options we have the Free Will to choose between. With the Bible we are able to weight up our choices. Gods' Holy Word the Bible and the Truth that it teaches us right from wrong. That is the Free Will we have been given. Which is an amazing gift of Gods' grace us.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving me freewill,
To think and fully seek the truth.

For I have found it in the Bible,
I have embraced it in my risen Saviour,
And in His name I am set free.

May I live my life a an example,
Of Your saving grace for all mankind,
And Your love for each of us.

Amen