If we BELIEVE NOT, yet He ABIDETH FAITHFUL, He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13 When Christ calls a man, he bids him COME AND DIE. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: BUT IF IT DIE, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall LOSE IT, and he that hateth his life in this world shall KEEP IT unto life eternal. -John 12:24-25 The words of the Master are at times difficult for the natural mind to grasp and comprehend. Why? Simply because in our natural state we cannot fathom the idea of dying that we may live, especially when we consider that death in the natural state testifies of a life no longer enjoyed in the present. In other words, once youre gone, you are gone. Paradoxically, Jesus assures us that, if we abandon ourselves and our incessant will to do things our way, we in fact receive life: not only in this present age, but most importantly, in the world to come. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once observed: Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing Gods will. Conversely, that, brothers and sisters defines living. We are not born again to white knuckle our way through lifes minefield to see what we can get away with and still be saved in the end, but rather, to abandon the desire to live for self and the things of this world. Jesus said, unless a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it will ultimately abide alone. This explains why we struggle with loneliness and depression. How so? Simply because there is an area of our lives that we have yet to submit; therefore, we are abiding alone (moving in step with our own way of doing things) instead of surrendering and going through the process of death on our individual cross. The life of a follower was never intended to be an easy road, it was, and is designed to bring to perfection (maturity) that seed (life) that has yielded itself to the process of spiritual death and renewal by the Spirit and Power of God in whom all life has its sustenance. May you become that seed which falls into the ground of submission that you may produce life eternal as you follow the way of the Master. Godspeed. Shalom. -E.T. Scyffore The Lost Sermons
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 19:26:15 +0000
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