Some proponents of the doctrine of predestination assert that prior to salvation, we are slaves to sin and subsequently slaves to righteousness to the extent that we have no free will of our own. I do believe that God is in control of much more than we tend to believe, even in areas that we think we control. However, I think that it is important to retain the fact that we are constantly presented with opportunities to exercise our own will. Even if our entire lives are scripted from beginning to end and every decision is simply an illusion, it is a script that we must follow, and that involves playing along with the illusion of choice. Why is this important to bring up? I think we sometimes use the sovereignty of God as an excuse for complacency in our pursuit of Him. We figure that if sanctification is a work of God, we can just sit back and let Him do His work. But God calls us to active obedience, not passive observance. He constantly presents us with opportunities to choose Him. “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15)