Why is it everyone is not automatically saved?

Being saved means you come to want what the Lord wants:

This takes time and effort. The Lord looks at us like a loving parent watches their children, every parent hopes their child has a long exciting, and rewarding path through life: The same is true with the Lord. It is “Our Choice” both in His word and in this world.

Joshua 24:15
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord,
“Choose for Yourselves” this day who you
will serve whether the gods which your fathers
serve, the gods in the land you dwell…
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

We have to know what He wants, decide to do it, and then do it.

1st Ingredient: The Lord’s truth
To show what He wants He gave us His word. He wants us to love Him, love our neighbors, not to steal, lie, murder. He wants us to know there is a way to be kind to every person we meet, we don’t have to be evil or selfish.

2nd Ingredient: The Lord’s love
We are all alive simply because of His love,

John 3:16
For God so loved the world He gave His only
begotten Son that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.

And we have to accept His love if we are going to be saved. Once we know what God wants, we have to align what we want with what He wants. This doesn’t means that we must change before we can please God, it does mean we choose to do what the Lord wants even when part of us resist’s it.

A promise from the Lord is that if we decide to do His will, we will slowly come to enjoy doing His will.

3rd Ingredient: Put 1 and 2 together (Truth and love) in action,

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been save through faith,
And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
People are not saved by taking a test to see if they pass but by “Making a Choice” to follow God’s will for their life. All He asks is that we try and He will rush to our side.

What if We Stumble?

Setbacks and failures are never the end of the story, we all stumble and make mistakes, we are all humans.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

We may at times have to start over but it’s never to late for a new beginning.

1st John 1:8-9
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
And the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1st John 2:1
My little children, these things I write to you,
so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins,
we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous.

The Lord never with holds His forgiveness:

Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow,
though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

If from His love He would save every person in the world no matter what, but from His wisdom He knows this would not leave us in freedom. He knows we will be happiest in “Freedom of Choice”.

Without an ability to choose we cannot be happy or come to love Him. God gives us every tool in His word and every chance at forgiveness all in hope that “We will Choose” happiness in the salvation He offers.

2nd Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise,
as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,
not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

“What is your Choice?”