A friend of mine works for a man who claims to be an atheist.  Despite my friend's many attempts to speak to him about Christ, the man is determined that he is right, almost to the point of complete disrespect to my friend.  During one of her last conversations with her boss, the man made a statement to the effect of "Okay, let's say you're right, and there is a God.  According to you, He made all things.  So He gave me the heart I have, and if He doesn't like it, that's not my fault.  Right?"  My friend was at a loss for words.

I, on the other hand, can think of several. (Blame it on the red hair, I guess!)  In fact, I would very much like to speak to this man and perhaps bring things down to a level he can actually understand.  He is the manager of a fast food restaurant, so my conversation with him would go something like this:

"When a customer orders a drink, you give them an empty cup to fill up at the fountain drink station across the way there, right?"

"That is correct," he would reply.

"So, besides the size of the cup, is there really any difference between them?  I mean, they're really all the same, right?  Probably even made by the same company."

"Yes, probably so.  The only real difference is the size."

"So, you give the customers a cup, then it's up to them to fill it.  Correct?"

"Yep."

"Then, the way I see it, they can fill that cup with whatever they want.  They could fill it with water, tea, soda, coffee or any of the other beverages offered.  In fact, if they really wanted to, they could take that cup out into the parking lot and fill it full of mud.  It's their cup, right?  They can do what they want."

By this point, I have a feeling the manager might be getting slightly uncomfortable because he's probably figured out what I'm getting at.  Yes, God gave him the heart that he has, but he has decided to fill it with mud rather than the life-giving water the Lord has to offer.  God gave him the vessel, but the man is the one who filled it with that which was unclean.  He can no more blame God for his dirty vessel than can the customer blame the manager for his mud-laden cup.

At this point, I would love to ask the manager this one last question:  "If the customer brought in his cup full of mud and asked to exchange it for a clean cup, would you give him one?"

He may or may not.  It probably would depend on the situation and the attitude of the customer who was asking.  God, on the other hand, is happy to exchange a dirty vessel for a clean one.  All we have to do is ask.  God loves to make the unclean clean, but He will not force it upon us, just as the manager would not force the customer to fill his/her cup with a drink not of their own choosing.  It's not complicated.  In fact, God designed it to be simple.  Ask, and ye shall receive.  It's truly that easy.  Now if we can only get people to understand that!

Thatif thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believein thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt besaved. - Romans 10:9