On God's Terms

 "Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life!" Jeremiah 21

Watching the grandkids is an amazing blessing. The little ones require constant vigilance and energy. There is a reason we normally have our children when we are young! They do life at a head-spinning pace. I get a big kick out of their constant negotiations. "One more show, then bed." "A piece of chocolate, then green beans." "Two more stories, then bath, then snack, then bed." It's entertaining, but at some point, the negotiations end and they receive the terms of how it's really going to go. 

King Zedekiah found himself in a real dilemma. The Babylonians were on their way to destroy Jerusalem and he was powerless to stop them. He decided to go into negotiations with God, "I'll ask your prophet for help God and then you do a miracle or something and send Nebuchadnezzar back home." God told him to surrender or die. That's it. Negotiations are over. There was only one way to life and Zedekiah refused to take it.

When Jesus came, he brought God's terms for peace, for forgiveness, for a right relationship with God. He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." People then and people now sadly continue to try to negotiate the terms. He told a man named Nicodemus, "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him (Jesus). But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son." Those are the terms. Negotiations are over. And now, the choice is ours.

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