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Thoughts on Free Will The following is an explanation of something I have said regarding what I believe about free will. I was asked to explain what I meant, so that is what I am attempting to do here. My response is: OKAY, what you partially quoted was me saying this: I enjoy free will, and what I believe about it is: You are free to choose to do what you want to do, but you are not free to choose what it is that you want to do, nor are you necessarily able, to do what you choose to do! I think perhaps the best way to explain this is giving examples of those three aspects of free will which I believe. 1. “You are free to choose to do WHAT you want to do” For example, you may choose to jump out of a flying airplane and flap your arms in an effort to fly. If that is what you want to, then yes, you are free to make that choice that is your free will. 2. “but you are not free to choose what it IS that you want to do” Now you could choose to poke your eye out with a pencil, but you not able to choose to want that. You either want that, or you do not. While some people may actually want that, I doubt they choose to want that, they just want what they want, without even thinking about it. However, most do not want that and they cannot want that, it is outside of their control. 3. “nor are you necessarily ABLE to do what you choose to do!” Going back the airplane illustration, you might make that choice to jump out, flap your arms and fly. However no matter how much you want that, no matter if you choose that, there are factors involved that prevent you from being able to fly in that manner. I believe these three thing are pretty much what can be said about free will, in terms of what you can choose freely (anything you want), what you are unable to choose limited by aspects of your own personality (which could change), and your powerlessness to make your choices happen. Summary: You can choose what you want, You cannot choose what to want, You have limited power to make your choices effective. The above are just in general, but when we begin to discuss theology, it becomes more complicated. Why? Because our will is not the only will involved. Perhaps there is another person (God) who has a say in all of this. For example, many Christians believe that as a free will choice, they decided to have Jesus the Christ as their Lord and Savior. They might even know the time and place they made that decision, and the circumstances surrounding that choice. I myself recall where I was, approximately when, and under what circumstances I made the choice. From the standpoint of my perspective, I made the choice, and I was not forced to, I freely chose. However, What if there is a being, who created me, and by virtue of His creation, He owns me, is sovereign and can do with me as He sees fit, without even asking my permission? Suppose such a One, chose me to choose Him? If He did, would that be free will on my part? What if I was unable to choose Him, because as a sinner, I am not inclined to the things of God, but am hostile and rebellious? My nature as a sinner, dictates to me what I will choose. Everything is limited by it’s own nature (outside of the miraculous). Iron horse shoes will not float in liquid water, where gravity is involved. People cannot flap their arms and fly. Even God is not able to do everything, His nature limits Him. So, what if I am a slave to sin, and it masters me? If that were the case, then I am a captive in need of liberation, though God does not owe me anything. He does not even owe me an explanation for what He does; after all, He is God! How do these things interplay, God and human free will? There once was a man named Jonah. One day, God told him to go preach to the Ninevites about their evil. Jonah did not like the Ninevites, so he thought to himself: “I think I will take a vacation in Tarshish, in the opposite direction. That is how rebellious humans use their free will. In spite of Jonah’s free will, God was not going to just let Jonah just do as he pleased. So God prepared a big fish, to give Jonah a free ride back in the direction of Nineveh. The fish vomited Jonah onto a beach, but he was still a long walk from Nineveh. I suspect that Jonah had some time to rethink this and consider his options. He could choose to do what he wanted to, but that was not working out too well for him. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of going to Nineveh, but the option was not attractive. Now he chose to do what God said. He made that decision. While it was made begrudgingly, I submit that is was STILL his free will. Here is the thing though: God ALSO has free will. In a battle of wills, who will win? In some cases, I think it is true, that some are stubborn, and God lets them have their way. However, that isn’t really winning, that is a tragic loss. God could have, of course, made Jonah go to Nineveh, moving Jonah’s feet, and opening his mouth to make him preach. He used a donkey to speak once; he can certainly use a wayward prophet. However, God does not seem to want to make marionettes out of people. As in the case of Jonah, God does not make people go against their will, but He sure can make them willing to go! There is another thing that is something to think about. Do you believe that God know everything, including the future? I do. So, if God knew that I would someday choose His Son, Jesus, will it turn out to be just as He foresaw it? I think the answer to that question is “Yes”. I am not saying that God chose to save me, based on what he foresaw me doing eventually. After all, He chose me, I did not chose Him. Eph 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. So, I would submit that people might want to ponder: If God knew that I was going to choose Him, and that was definetly how it was going to turn out, predestined, as the verse says, is there any other way it would turn out? If not, what does that mean with respect to our free will? Can we make a free will choice that makes God wrong?

It has occurred to me that some individuals using the club and following the links on the daily reading pages to go to read the passages online, are confronted with the question of which Bible version they should use. I have created a webpage that can help one make that decision, if one has not yet done so. The page is not super-informative, but it does offer some basic information to get one started. There are version abbreviations, reading grade level, type of translation, some notes on what the textural basis of the versions are, and links to get one further information if desired. There will be information there also, explaining some of the terminology used in the page as well, but for now, the page is incomplete, to be completed shortly. The grade level rating, is not there to suggest that you choose your grade level, but is a guideline that indicated a level of reading ease or difficulty. Those who have difficulty understanding some version or for whom English is a second language, may want to choose a version which is a lower grade lever, and thus easier to read.

HEBREWS 5:13 for everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of ---righteousness--- for he is a babe --5:14-- but strong meat belongeth to them that are full of age even those who --by reason of use-- have their senses exercised to discern both --GOOD AND EVIL-- PSALM 52:3 thou lovest evil more than good and lying rather than to speak righteousness PROVERBS 8:8 all the words of MY MOUTH are in righteousness there is nothing froward or perverse in them PROVERBS 11:19 as righteousness tendeth to life so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death PSALM 119:138 thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful PROVERBS 13:21 evil pursueth sinners but to the righteous good shall be repayed PROVERBS 15:28 the heart of the righteous studieth to answer but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things PROVERBS 12:17 he that speaketh truth showeth forth righteousness but a false witness deceit _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PSALM 15:1 LORD who shall abide in thy tabernacle who shall dwell in thy holy hill --15:2-- he that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness and speaketh truth in his heart --15:3-- he that backbiteth not with his tongue nor doeth evil to his neighbor nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ JEREMIAH 7:24 but they hearkened not nor inclined their ear but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart and went backward instead of forward LOVING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

Three words of gratitude, six words or sentences to tell a story, social media posts, pics, pins, hashtags, tweets...let's see: who do I want people to think I am today? I can't say I don't care or it doesn't matter; I wouldn't be typing if I didn't feel the need to connect to someone, somewhere on some level. I suppose I'll use today's three tags: "choice", "praise", and the combo tag of "mental health and faith". Who am I - REALLY - when the labels, expectations, familial roles and everyday tasks and duties are stripped away either by circumstance or by choice? I am surely a product of both NATURE and NURTURE - both exquisitely, purposefully designed and orchestrated by the ONE who chose to call me into existence, calls me to himself in repentance and faith, and calls me to remain continually on my face at His feet. I am to PRAISE HIM ("point to Him in all things"). Faith and Praise are both gifts and choices. The sometimes daily struggle to stand boldly and firmly in that faith and praise is a choice. Life's hard. Changes happen. Broken, hurting, sinful people sin, hurt others and break things all the time. Pain, illness, disease, and the rest of the consequences of the fall of man wear us down physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Even warriors can be brought low to the point of despair. In a state of exhaustion it can be hard to remember why you're fighting, why it's important to keep swinging, where to find solid ground to stand on and why it's important to choose to get out of bed in the morning. ON THIS FINE DAY, my choice is to open my eyes, sit up on the edge of the bed and take the Outstretched Hand being offered me. As I place my tired, bunny-slippered feet on top of His I choose to accept His gift of truth, promise, hope and love. What a privilege... to be chosen and and to choose. ON THIS FINE DAY, I pray you too will be free to dance the dance of a well-loved child.

Our freedom ends where someone else's rights begin. Do you agree or disagree? For those more eloquent: "The beauty of one's freedoms wilts when the exercise of choice tramples on the rights of others."