Saturday, August 04, 2012

A Testament of Turning

"Again and again I have found how vitally necessary it is for us to make the choice, to open ourselves on the Godward side. His response to us, His revelation to us in contingent upon our readiness to receive Him. I so often hear you say that if there really were a God, He should be willing to show Himself to us, that we might know without a doubt what He is, where He is, and what He wants us to do. I once thought so, too. But you cannot know God without seeing how impossible all this is. Again, He cannot both give us free will and at the same time withhold it. In our behalf He will safeguard our freedom of choice by refusing to coerce, to impinge upon, to compel, our loyalty. He does not command; He invites. Jesus Christ showed us this when He looked down from the mountain of temptation and saw the alternative, a deus ex machina who would abundantly supply man's needs and force his belief by a demonstration of miracle and power. In His choosing, Christ revealed to us the nature of God. "

                                                                                 A Testament of Turning
                                                                                - Donet Meynell Roelofs