"But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:47 KJV)
"Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee." (Psalms 102:25-28 KJV)
So, it is established that we are completely broken, in need of critical repair, and absolutely without any hope of fixing ourselves; now, it is the moment of choice! We cannot see their hearts, but based upon the results of their actions, they certainly did not make the right choice!
The second thing that is required of us, is to believe in God's ability to fix us! Not just that He can, but that He will, because it is His will to do so, not our own. You know, I have watched so many people who give up, not because they have given up, but because they have felt as thou God has given up on them! If you don't understand what I just said, read it again, because it is very important!
When Jesus says, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," many will use that to explain the way He chose His disciples; which is absolutely true, but not just based upon them, but everyone that is or will be a child of God! Why is that relevant? Based upon my knowledge of God's eternal nature and His ability to know all things, I know absolutely nothing! How, in all of God's creation, could I make any sort of realistic choice to pick God? Let alone, the God that fixes me because He loves me!
Be real! I had about as much chance of picking God to govern my life, as I did to fix myself from being broken! To be perfectly clear, I believe that God picks everyone; because with God, there are no favorites. But, not all will be the whosoever's, that we answer when He calls! Regardless, it is God that reaches out to us; and it is His will for us to be made whole!
The third thing, is much like the second, based upon the last, which is based upon the first: He will not stop: because He does not give up! He finishes what He started, even if I stop: He does not stop! This is why I cannot and do not give up: I keep on breaking, but He keeps on fixing me! Even when I think that I am done, He is the wind beneath my wings...
"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires.
"In view of all of this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
"The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
"So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:3-11 NLT)
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