I HAVE REALISED THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO AMOUNT OF PERSECUTION, SELF-INFLICTED PAIN, OR ANY DISCIPLINE BENT ON DENYING ONESELF OF FLESHLY DESIRES THAT WILL EVER RID THE PERSON OF HUMAN WANTS AND NATURAL CRAVINGS! Through several years of living in the institutional church I have realized that one of the things that keeps her busy is the daily endless struggle to die!! - crucifying the old man, refusing to give place to flesh, putting to death their will etc. Worse enough, this has been encouraged from a legalistic point of view. I have tried that kind of “suicide” for many years until I came to a conclusion that I does not work! What I have found out (and this doesn’t only make sense to me, but it works too) is the blessed fact that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PRODUCE DEATH BY DEATH! In God’s economy, DEATH COMES BY LIFE! If we can be honest with ourselves, most of you will agree with me that most of us in our spiritual walk have been trying to “die” in order to live. We have had the idea that if we could overcome and conquer the death in us we would be able to live the life of Christ… But that seems to be inconsistent with the law of life! Well did Apostle Paul put it when he said, “For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). The law of the spirit of life which is in Christ is the law of our spiritual life —and it surpasses the law of sin and death! As long as this law is at work, you don‟t die in order to live —you live in order to die! It is the law of the spirit of LIFE that makes us free from the law of sin and DEATH. I would say, if you don’t live before you die, you had better not die, for if you don‟t have life before you die, will there be anything left after you have died? I even think that there will be no hope of resurrection left. Why I am saying that is the reason that the seed of life is what should guarantees resurrection! It may go without saying that this is the very reason why Jesus was willing to die! He was willing to die because He could say, “No man taketh my life from me —I lay it down; I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again.” The one who lays down his life must have power to take it up again. If you have not the power to lay your life down, and take it back up, then may God help you not to die! You must live in order to die, so that when you die you can still live. “If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ shall also quicken (make alive) your mortal bodies by His Spirit which dwelleth in you”(Rom. 8:11). “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, WE SHALL BE SAVED BY HIS LIFE” (Rom. 5:9-11). Christ provides us with something twofold as clearly put in the verse above:-- reconciled by His death—saved by His life! Christ’s death is the atonement; reconciling men to God, granting a full and free entrance back into the fellowship from which we were once banished (in Adam). But Christ’s life is the source of the life which shall work in us the complete transformation into the divine nature. Finish with the chorus: THE LIFE BEFORE ME THE CROSS BEHIND ME X3 NO TURNING BACK, NO TURNING BACK. Just evening greetings (East African time)to the expendables
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 17:10:19 +0000
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