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Each month the Glen Park Gospel Church produce a one page newsletter called the Green Leaf. It's available from the chapel each Sunday. Anything that may be of mild interest will be published here.

A Rock So Big

When I was a child I heard a story of someone asking if God could make a rock so big that He could not lift it. There was no answer, or maybe I had run off before one was given. Much later I pondered the question and realised that not only could this be, but God had already done so. That rock is called free will. God created us with our own mind to accept or deny His lordship over us, and He will abide by that choice.

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15.
"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me"." Mark 8:34.

It would be imprudent to not acknowledge that there are also bible verses that indicate God makes this choice for us.

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." Proverbs 16:9.
"[God] who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began." 1 Timothy 1:9. This dichotomy is hard to reconcile.

When I pressed on this, my father simply said: when a couple marry, who chooses, the man or the woman? The same is true of Christ and His bride, the Church; that both choose.

Free will in a godly sense is mostly about whether we will follow Jesus or try to live without God whereas God's guidance, in the latter verses above, is for those who already believe. Once we know that God is, we need to make this choice. Choosing to trust God early is to begin living in His joy all the sooner.

Thought for the Month

"The worldling blesses God while He gives him plenty, but the Christian blesses Him when He smites him: he believes Him to be too wise to err and too good to be unkind; he trusts Him where he cannot trace Him, looks up to Him in the darkest hour, and believes that all is well."

C.H. Spurgeon

For a list of this month's readings, click on the above link for Quick Verse

The Three Year Bible readings will continue to cycle on this site as usual, click here.

For past features (since 1995) see our archive

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