Stress Test Devotional April 27
April 27, 2024
DAY 24
GENESIS 3:6-13; 4:8
Besides facing the reality of suffering, and insisting on the existence of transcendent goods, Christian theology has insisted that much human suffering comes directly from human choices. What would life be like if God, like a parent with a small infant, always prevented us from making wrong choices? The gift of freedom underlies and makes real every human virtue, including our capacity to love. Without choices, we remain infantile and cannot undertake meaningful projects of any kinds. Yes, freedom is also a terrible gift, for it can be misused to damage and hurt others. I write this on the morning after the horrific terror attack in Manchester. It reminds our family of the death of Julia’s cousin , Stephen Oake, a policeman killed by an Islamic terrorist in that same city in 2003. God values freedom for us enough to endure our rejection of him and our mistreatment of one another, but promises an ultimate reckoning.
Why do Adam and Eve disobey God? Cain killing Abel?
Why do you think the Bible portrays evil without explaining its mystery?
FAMILY TIME— Review your day together. How did you use your freedom? Did you make any wrong choices? Pray for forgiveness.
