HUMAN PARTICIPATION.

"Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4). To each of His disciples, Jesus said, "Follow Me". That was an invitation, not a requirement. An invitation respects the freedom of the invitee to accept or decline. Indeed, the "no" answer is perhaps the greatest expression of human dignity possible. That men and women can go to heaven is an expression of God's love; that they can go to hell is an expression of the value He places on their freedom.

God desires - not requires - a relationship with us. It is not a one-sided affair; we are co-participants with Him, both in our relationship with Him and in our work in the world. 

A woman with a hemorrage struggled through the press of the crowd in order to touch His garmet; four men opened a hole in the ceiling of a crowded house and let down their paralyzed friend in front of Jesus; a centurion soldier asked that Jesus only speak a word so his servant would be healed; a blind man went and washed the clay and the darkness from his eyes; a little boy offered his meager lunch to feed a multitude. All the miracles of Jesus involved human participation - "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch". This was not just a Messianic Show; this was God interacting in human experience - giving and taking, relating with us as Son of Man.

God does not pull all the strings. He counts us as too important for that. To find without seeking, to hear without listening, to say "yes" without the possibility of saying "no" is to negate the value of my seeking, my hearing and my participating. I am not a puppet. Nor does He put all the pieces togther. He leaves holes; He raises questions. He wants me to ask... (John F.)