This post comes from my journal, 7/17/03
I once heard of a sermon entitled "God wants to kill you!" Quite provocative. Could a God of Love be capable of such a desire for us?
Galatians 2:20 BBE - I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me.
I've come to see the need for 3 disciplines in my life. I call them the 3 Walks of Life; Faith, Humility & Love.
I'm working on my Faith-Walk so that I would learn complete dependency on God and the understanding that of myself I can do nothing. He and He alone is my source for ALL I need, (physically, mentally/emotionally and spiritually). Not my job, not my sweet skills or talents, not my education, not the family I come from…etc. Walking by Faith's attitude is, “I don’t have all the answers or resources. I need God!”
Death to Self
Hebrews 11:6 MESSAGE - It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
I'm developing my Humility-Walk so I would learn my ambitions, my desires, and my wants and needs come secondary to the obedience of God. I cannot manipulate or promote myself and expect God’s favor and blessing to be upon me. I must be willing to give up my dreams to allow God’s to come true.
Death to Self
James 4:6b GNB - As the scripture says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
I Peter 5:5b BBE - Let all of you put away pride and make yourselves ready to be servants: for God is a hater of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low.
I'm cultivating my Love-Walk so that I would learn self-denial of my desires, allowing Christ to work through me, putting others first. The result I'm discovering is I hear God more clearly as I'm becoming more Spirit-lead rather than self-lead. I'm looking for a stronger manifestation of His power in my life as love becomes my motivator. All the Faith in the world will be worthless if I am void of love.
Death to Self
I once heard of a sermon entitled "God wants to kill you!" Quite provocative. Could a God of Love be capable of such a desire for us?
Galatians 2:20 BBE - I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me.
I've come to see the need for 3 disciplines in my life. I call them the 3 Walks of Life; Faith, Humility & Love.
I'm working on my Faith-Walk so that I would learn complete dependency on God and the understanding that of myself I can do nothing. He and He alone is my source for ALL I need, (physically, mentally/emotionally and spiritually). Not my job, not my sweet skills or talents, not my education, not the family I come from…etc. Walking by Faith's attitude is, “I don’t have all the answers or resources. I need God!”
Death to Self
Hebrews 11:6 MESSAGE - It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
I'm developing my Humility-Walk so I would learn my ambitions, my desires, and my wants and needs come secondary to the obedience of God. I cannot manipulate or promote myself and expect God’s favor and blessing to be upon me. I must be willing to give up my dreams to allow God’s to come true.
Death to Self
James 4:6b GNB - As the scripture says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
I Peter 5:5b BBE - Let all of you put away pride and make yourselves ready to be servants: for God is a hater of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low.
I'm cultivating my Love-Walk so that I would learn self-denial of my desires, allowing Christ to work through me, putting others first. The result I'm discovering is I hear God more clearly as I'm becoming more Spirit-lead rather than self-lead. I'm looking for a stronger manifestation of His power in my life as love becomes my motivator. All the Faith in the world will be worthless if I am void of love.
Death to Self
1 comment:
Your comment on self-denial reminded me of an observation which C. S. Lewis makes in The Screwtape Letters. (Remember that this is from the point of view of a demon; hence God is the "Enemy"):
He wants to kill their animal self-love as soon as possible; but it is His long-term policy, I fear, to restore to them a new kind of self-love – a charity and gratitude for all selves, including their own; when they have really learned to love their neighbours as themselves, they will be allowed to love themselves as their neighbours. For we must never forget what is the most repellent and inexplicable trait in our Enemy; He really loves the hairless bipeds He has created and always gives back to them with His right hand what He has taken away with His left.
Even the denial of ourselves which God desires is ultimately so that He can bless us even more and fulfill the true object of the redeemed desire.
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