God's Rules
God gave us the freedom to choose, so He forces us to make choices.
When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go!" So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. - Matt. 8:28-34
Whether you believe in demons or not, this story has a message that is worth hearing.
Jesus comes upon two men possessed by demons and the demons question him. They know what their fate will be when the time comes, so they want to know is Jesus here to bring that time now?
In other words, is this the time we have to start paying for our sins with eternal torment?
If not, give us an out.
This sounds like a negotiation, but it really isn't. In a way, it is like when we try to barter with God. Do this for me and I will be good.
That's not how the game is played. God's rules apply, not ours.
When the demons choose the herd of swine, Jesus must have smiled, since this is like killing two birds with one stone.
The Gentiles raise pigs, which the Jews consider unclean. The pigs are a source of prosperity for the Gentiles, and a large herd would represent a lot of money.
When the demons chose the pigs and the pigs ran into the sea, all that money was lost.
You could argue that Jesus did that to show that the true path is one that is not paved with gold and belongings. But it really wasn't Jesus who did this.
We would call it fate.
The demons chose the pigs and the pigs chose death to possession.
We have no way of knowing what happened to the demons, whether they went somewhere else or fell into the abyss, but we know the harders were out a considerable sum.
So, how does it work in God's kingdom?
Jesus has told many parables about wealth and greed, hoarding and storing up treasures for the future only to have life end before you could enjoy them.
If we believe that God will provide for those who do His work, we will have no problem giving to those in need.
But we don't trust Him, do we?
And that leads to problems, because by God's rules, we need to be all in.
We need to have faith in Him.
Because He knows, like the demons, we sometimes make the wrong choices.
More to come...