Chosen to Have a Heart for Jesus

Only God has free will because only God can do what He wants to do.  What He chooses and wills to do always flows out of His character so He will never do anything sinful, but our will is not totally free.  We cannot will ourselves to be ten feet tall, to fly like an eagle, or run as fast as a cheetah.  We do have choices. We can choose between Coke or Pepsi, Toyota or Ford, to go to college or enter the work force after high school, to live in a house or an apartment, to marry or not to marry, a PC or a Mac.  But our choices are limited.  It is out of the heart, which is the well spring of life, that our decisions are made.  Our choices are made out of the nature that is in us.  The Bible tells us that all people are dead in their sin.  Dead people cannot make any decisions.  Dead people cannot choose to love God.  In order to love God, God must give us a heart that is inclined towards Him.  If your heart is not regenerated, if Christ hasn't given you a new heart, you cannot choose God.  God does not choose us because we believe but that we may believe.  While we were dead and His enemies, while we were opposed to Him, He gave us a new heart, a heart that desires Him.  Apart from a new heart, everyone chooses sin and death and hell.  That is all we'd ever choose.  Remember Lazarus?  He was physically dead.  Our spiritual condition was like his physical condition.  Lazarus did not call out, "Help me Jesus, I'm dead!" He didn't pursue Jesus.  Jesus came to Lazarus and called Lazarus.  Jesus comes to us and calls us, His Father's chosen ones.  Jesus transforms us from the inside out so that we would desire Him and love Him!  As you start your day today, thank Him for your new heart and the ability to now choose to please Him!