The Christian and The Cross!

Comments & Quotes from Christian Voices:

1. **Dietrich Bonhoeffer**:

"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."

*(The Cost of Discipleship)*

- This speaks to the sacrificial nature of following Christ. The Cross represents our Salvation and the call to surrender our lives to God's will.

2. **A.W. Tozer**:

"The old Cross slew men; the new Cross entertains them."

- Tozer calls out the modern tendency to dilute the message of the Cross, reminding us that it is a symbol of suffering and redemption, not comfort.

3. **Charles Spurgeon**:

"There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below."

- This quote underscores that eternal glory comes through the path of the Cross. Our faith is not without its challenges; through them, we find victory.

4. **Leonard Ravenhill**:

"The man who has died to self has nothing left to fear. The Cross is the place of death, but also the place of resurrection power."

Original Reflections & Quotes:

1. **"The Cross is not a detour on the path of a Christian; it is the path. Only by walking through its sacrifice do we arrive at the resurrection."**

- This speaks to the daily reality of dying to ourselves so Christ may live through us.

2. **"The Cross was not just a one-time event in history; it's the continuous shaping force of every believer's life."**

- It reminds us that the message of the Cross should be lived out daily, not just remembered.

3. **"True discipleship begins at the foot of the Cross. Here, we trade our sin for His righteousness, weakness for His strength, and despair for His hope."**

- A reminder that the Cross is where transformation happens, and we find our true identity in Christ.

4. **"The Cross is a paradox: a place of suffering and victory, shame and glory, death and life. To carry it daily is to live in the tension of Christ's love for an unredeemed world."**

- This reflects the complexity and beauty of bearing the Cross in a world that often rejects it.

5. **"The weight of the Cross will humble you but strengthen you. Only through it do we experience the joy of knowing Christ and making Him known."**

- Encourages believers to see the Cross as both a burden and a source of deep joy in following Christ.

6. **"We must never leave the Cross behind, for it is where our journey with Christ begins, and our daily victory is found."**

- A call to make the Cross central in our everyday Christian walk.

These thoughts and quotes emphasize the ongoing relationship between the Christian and the Cross, where sacrifice leads to victory and humility brings us closer to Christ's heart.