Chap #5 – Grace Gift Package

There have been moments that I'd characterized our lives, with it's trials and growing pains, as Choir Practice. It has to do with where we're going in this resource and the eternal destiny of the Christian.

We've already touched on the FELLOWSHIP aspect of our life's purpose, and that especially carries through to our being in our new promised land in Heaven. One of our activities that seems to stand tall in the list is praising – praising our dear Savior and all we've learned about Him during our 'choir practice'. More about that in a minute.

It is true that God hates sin and Satan himself. But you see, if He'd never put sin and the choice to think and act in it, there'd be no alternative to obeying Him. We'd be heart-beating robots. I suppose more in the sense of animals that do what they do, largely by instinct.

I could have made my little boy stay away for the busy street and the traffic by building a fence around our yard, so strong and tall, he'd definitely be staying away from the traffic, like a dog in a pen. But I cherish my son so much the more, because he trusts and obeys me and my desires of him.

Because he does those things I desire of him, I happily give him gifts that show I recognize his actions are toward my wishes.

So for proper preparation for our eternal Choir of Praise, God has included a package that partners with the Natural Revelation Creation Package... The Sin-Love Package. Caution: here and elsewhere we are careful to always remind the reader that God didn't create sin... period. Sin is part of a package including the whole sin, love, choice, compassion, fellowship, mercy, on and on... That's just the way God loves us. His fatherly gifts to us go beyond human language.

We list simple definitions of a few of the ingredients of the GGP, as follows:

== Sin is thinking or doing things we KNOW God doesn't like. ==

== Love is the sacrificial heart-led in action or attitude toward another. Scripture presents at least 3 levels of love: Agape = Godlike love, love in-spite-of; Phileo = Brotherly love; Eros = Sensual, often lustful love. ==

== Sacrifice is internal or external surrendering of a conviction or object, to benefit or pay homage to God or a person. ==

== Mercy is the act of diminishing the discipline deserved by a person. “Mercy is Not Getting what I DO deserve (punishment)” ==

== Grace is the act of giving a present to someone without expecting it be returned or compensated for. “Grace IS getting a Gift I DO NOT deserve” ==

== Repentance is seeing one's own attitudes and actions as being contrary to God's will, and 'turning around' toward achievement of God's will, which would also include asking for God's forgiveness. ==

== Forgiveness is to pardon; to release resentment or hostility against another. i.e. might be the ultimate of mercy. ==

Mankind have become quite lazy in their learning of the terms above, among many others. The result is the use of these terms in glib, shallow, often insincere ways. This then, becomes open doors to Satan's subtle testing, i.e. “yea hath God said?” Genesis 3:1

Now, it's true, He could have just poured the meanings of these words that form some of the sweetest of His attributes, into our heads at birth. But see, we learn the meanings and depth of these attributes from the INSIDE. God gave us a thinking feeling brain designed to savor the joy of forgiving, loving, compassion, and God-honoring choices by our receiving gifts from Him that may even contain some of our tears mingled with His. This is Choir of Praise practice in a whole new level.

This whole INSIDE method of learning the meanings of God's attributes is woven together with many threads... one of which is the command 'to remember'. Over and over we are to remember our roots... all the many times He's delivered us from selfish choices.

Our cheerful choice to obey God's will and way for us, from the inside, also gives evidence to God, ourselves, and others that we honor Him with our choices, day by day.

Love is the sacrificial heart-felt act or attitude toward another. Deep love is often evidenced with real tears; 'heart tears'. Jesus Christ stated and then set an example for us at Calvary, in that, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.

The Resurrection is that act of Christ taking life back into His human body, by His own power, AND evidenced by many infallible proofs. (Acts 1:3) The Resurrection of Christ is the KEY EVENT putting Christianity in a class far above comparison with other types of god-worship. The Resurrection proved Christ had power over death itself – ultimate power.

God wants to show us more of Himself, if we're faithful in what He has already shown us. Want to know WHY? It has to do with FELLOWSHIP in eternity past and eternity future. The more we seek to learn and use of His goodness, the closer (more joyful) we'll be able to serve Him on this Earth, AND the sweeter will be our eternal fellowship with Him.