Philippians 2:8

HOW WILL YOU LEAVE THE CROSS THIS EASTER?

(April 11, 2025) Stuart Reynolds asks some questions, challenging us…

Luke 23:48ISV tells that the mixed crowd who witnessed Jesus Christ’s crucifixion on Calvary’s cross: ‘… beat their chests and left.’ 

Of this J.C. Ryle wrote, ‘Both Jew and Gentile left Calvary that evening heavy-hearted, self-condemned, and ill at ease!’ And William Barclay wrote: ‘[Christ’s] death did what even His life could not do— it broke the hard hearts of men!’

Easter 2025 is next weekend and I’m reminded of the question Alan Redpath asked, ‘In the light of the cross, isn’t it a scandal that you and I live today as we do?’ 

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FREE WILL

(July 25, 2021) Robert and Maureen McQuillan discourage blaming God and others…

Free will… there’s a catchphrase that often come up conversations with Christians over concern about the evil in our world and wars, bad judgments, murders, family distresses, terrorism, Holocaust type atrocities, drug taking, alcoholism, the quickness to sin, Christians including ministers falling from grace, the current covid-19 crisis… and other sad happenings.

Regarding bad choices, so often, when trying to offer explanations, hope and comfort, Christians usually say, ‘Well it all gets back to God allowing us to have free will… in our humanity we either choose to do or say the right thing or not.’

Now that’s true… but at times it comes across that we’re blaming an unthoughtful creator! The reality is that when God created humanbeings in his own image back in Eden, Adam and Eve could have made the right choice, and sin would not have become a dangerous reality and the world would not be in the mess it’s in!

Hold it…
Even as we mustn’t even consider accusing God, let’s not dump blame at Adam and Eve’s feet either!

Their big slip-up is in the past, decades ago… we’re in the present and need to readily accept our responsibilities to make the right choices today!

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