"Hope deferred makes the heart sick," the Bible says, "but when the desire comes it is a tree of life."

Also the Lord told us no person sets aside house or relatives or his farm or whatever else for the Gospel's sake but that he receives it all back multiplied many times over in the present age, and in the age to come eternal life.

So first we must place God and Christ unqualifiedly on the throne of our heart. Then, in due time, we shall be entrusted with authority over all the works of God's hands. The world is ours, you know.

Sometimes we wonder why God, who knows all things, created angels and people with the ability to choose their way. God knew they could sin if they so choose and bring unutterable tragedy on themselves.

One individual reflecting on this exclaimed that God brought sin into the world by making it possible for angels and people to sin.

I responded that God does not sin and never causes anyone to sin. But the only way in which He could bring into being personalities that would voluntarily choose to love and serve Him was by making it possible for them to disobey Him.

Thus God opened the gates of splendor to those who would choose to obey Him, but the gates of eternal torment to those who would choose to disobey Him.

If God created personalities who could not disobey Him they would be nothing more than puppets.

There really are gates of splendor and there really are gates of eternal torment. I choose to think of God making it possible for personalities to experience eternal joy rather than to think of God making it possible for personalities to suffer eternal torment.

Did God know, before He created Satan, that Satan would sin? I suppose He did, since God is not bound by time and can look at any point of the great tapestry He has created.

Did God know before He created Adam and Eve that they would sin? Yes He did, because the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.

Did God know before you and I were born what we will do? I think so.

But Satan, Adam and Eve, and you and I are the ones who actually choose what we will do. God does not make us choose righteousness and God does not make us choose sin. The choice is ours even though God may know what we will choose.

The most marvelous things and experiences imaginable lie before us. But when we choose to place God and Christ on the throne of our heart we must permit the deferral of all of our desires for a season. When our obedience is proved beyond doubt, just as Abraham's obedience was proved beyond doubt, and Christ's obedience was proved beyond doubt, we will be permitted to sit with Christ and the Father on the throne of our own personality.

When this takes place we have become, as the second chapter of Hebrews tells us, ruler of all the works of God's hands. But the one who profits most is God who has gained a son.

To be continued.