av David Ajeigbe
306,-
Response is the backbone of all human relationships to situations and issues, to other humans, and to God. Humans face several issues daily requiring a variety of response. However, the type or the manner of response depend on the individual and the situations. Those responses may vary from positive to negative, accommodation to rejection, love to hate, friendship to enmity, understanding to indifferences, forgiveness to revenge, being humane to being no-humane, giving "benefits of the doubt" to giving no allowance to other possibilities, and other shades of responses which one could imagine. However, the Bible is emphatic in saying that "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB). With this statement God expects Christians to become new after accepting Christ, the old ways to behavior are old and just as an old cloth is disregarded old behavior must be discarded which include a way of responding to issues/situations before one becomes a Christian. Human responses to issues are old, inadequate, and Christ's way of response should be allowed to take over.When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and listened to the devil it was not that their sins were so bad that God could not forgive them, but their responses were of giving excuses instead of asking for forgiveness. Therefore, they were thrown out of their comfort zone in the garden of Eden. When God requested Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of bondage which he put them Pharaoh responded in defiance which resulted in his death and the death of the Egyptians who followed him. When Abraham responded positively to God, God blessed him and his generation after him. Responses to issues between humans could either enhance or destroy relationships. Many families', friendships', associates' relations have been improved or destroyed due to the responses to each other of those involved. God is asking humans to respond to Him and Jesus is ever present to receive human responses. Jesus even surrendered His life for humans as the only true path to God. God in Jesus and the Holy Spirit waiting and calling you-sinners to come. Your response to God's calling will determine where you will spend eternity, either with God in peace or the devil in turmoil.