Imagine, if you will, a God creating a creature in his own image, a God who “naturally” exists outside of time and space, who is infinite. The creature, however, could not be infinite, regardless of the image of the God she bears. The creature would be limited to time and space, but the creature would have the capacity to create like God and to choose, including the choice to go its own way.

Giving this creature choice is dangerous, but it’s the only way for the creature to be able to understand love and to be able to return that love to its creator. This God loved the creature and desired to give love to this creature and receive love in return.

This is the divine experiment.

And, the very fact that we can reject God is proof that God loves us.

We read in the Old Testament a description of what appears to be an angry and jealous God. This God seems emotional like a man. (At least that is how we perceive it.)

But consider that this God, this Author and Giver of life, knows a lot more than the creature does. This God exists outside of the time and space continuum that confines the creature. This God has a design for this creature to exist with him forever in fellowship – this creature to whom God gave a choice.

Apart from God there is no life. This God knows too well that apart from Him there is no life and no love.

The situation is desperate when this creature goes its own way and chooses its own comfort, its own wisdom, its own finiteness instead of the infinite Giver of comfort, Embodiment of wisdom and the Source of eternal life.

This divine experiment can go desperately wrong, and the creature can be lost forever, disconnected from the Author and Giver of life – because this creature has a choice.

Would not this God do anything, if this God loved the creature, to turn the creature away from the path of destruction toward the path of life?

But this divine experiment would not work if this creature had no choice. There could be no love relationship without choice.

This ability to choose is proof that God created us for an incredible purpose – to have fellowship with Him forever – but this choice can steer us desperately wrong.

This God, this Father, who exists outside of time and space, has already seen all of the divine experiment play out. He was; He is; and He always will be. He can view the drama from any angle: before the beginning of time and from anywhere in the scheme of time. God sees it all in the ever present.

This God already knows who has made the choice for Him and who has fallen desperately away.

Yet, for us, the drama plays out in our everyday lives.

God is calling. He is knocking from outside the confines of our lives. He is ready to birth His life and love in us.

Will you listen? Will you respond? Will you receive Him?

God knows your choice, but your choice is still your choice. Now it is up to you.

The old saying rings true: If you love something, let it go. If she was yours, she will return to you.

God let us go, will you return?

If not, you were never His. If you do, you were always His, chosen before the foundation of the earth. (Ephesians 1:4)