““But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to rule over us……’ “He told him, ‘I will condemn you by what you have said, you evil servant! If you knew I was a harsh man, collecting what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow,……But bring here these enemies of mine, who did not want me to rule over them, and slaughter them in my presence.'”” Luke 19:14, 22, 27 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/luk.19.14-27.CSB
Our default posture toward God is one of rebellion. Why do we think we are born good when we watch our toddlers refuse to obey us when our instructions are simple and for their benefit? Most parents have good hearts toward their children because they love them, yet those same children disobey, argue, ignore, and refuse to cooperate so often with parental instruction. We do the same toward God. We do these things because we are arrogant and selfish. Like toddlers, we throw tantrums because we don’t get our way. We seek pleasure and power and don’t desire to share these things with anyone. We falsely accuse God of being mean and harsh because He does not make our lives easier or better as we perceive they need to be. Therefore, we ignore God, yet we will stand before God and give an account of our lives in conformity to His will. God will punish all those who remain disobedient and stubborn, refusing to honor Him as God on earth through worship and obedience. We must choose to please God Who is good, Who is loving, Who wants us to live with Him forever in the most wondrous land with the greatest pleasure imaginable. The good parent has only good plans for the rebellious toddler, not evil ones, yet the toddler thinks otherwise and rebels. God is good and has good plans for us in the life to come, where He rules directly, rather than in our current world, where He allows evil men to have free will in this world who do so much evil. The life to come will be good, will be grand beyond our wildest imagination, but we must trust Him that His ways are right, His will is good for us, and that He has only good intentions toward us if we will be at peace with Him and live forever with Him.
