I know, I know, there is nothing glorious about laying down your life. But you know what’s glorious? Honoring the Lord. Laying down your life honors the Savior of your soul. Laying down your life shows God that you not only love Him but that you trust Him.
“I do not find many people talking about the Cross these days. But the few that do mention the cross seem only to live in the shadow of that teaching. They never actually surrender to the cross as an instrument of death to self. We want to die on the cross, but at the last minute, we always seem to find a way to rescue ourselves. Nothing is easier to talk about than dying on the cross and surrendering ourselves, but nothing is harder than actually doing it. Talk is cheap, but the walk is what really matters. Some christians have painted the cross in broad romantic strokes. The fully surrendered life is glamorized and popularized, but it is rarely realized. We can talk ourselves up to the cross, but at the last minute we always seem to find a reason to back down.” The Crucified Life by A. W Tozer
Have you died to yourself? I know it’s easy to read that question and nod yes and move on. But please? Seriously think about it, in your heart of hearts- just between you and Jesus, would God agree with you that you have died to yourself?
Paul instructs us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?- unless indeed you are disqualified.”
Obedience
Obedience shows God that you love him. Unfortunately, words don’t “prove” much.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.” John 15:9 – 17
If you are not obeying Jesus Christ, do you really think you are following Him?
We really have to be careful here; these days everyone “knows” God. And almost everyone “shares about Jesus Christ”. But Paul tells us in Philippians 1:15-16 that “some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains.”
Did you see that? Some people preach Christ from self ambition. Of course, our first thought when we see someone preaching isn’t: is this preacher preaching from self ambition or sincerely? But if a preacher preaches out of self ambition is he or she going to teach about the whole law of God or a wholly devotion to God? A selfish ambition type of preaching negates a wholehearted devotion to God. And why in the world would I follow a lukewarm leader if my goal is not to be lukewarm? And please, don’t misunderstand me, there is a plain difference between excusing sin (not warning people against lukewarm living and the dangers of living in sin) and sinning (we all sin and we must always come to God in repentance). Do you see the difference? When we choose to live in sin, we are not being repentant; and what we are doing is “we are crucifying once again the Son of God” (Hebrews 6:6).
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6: 4-6).
Whenever God convicts our hearts I pray that we are always quick to repent. “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” He intended that the entire life of believers should be of repentance”. Martin Luther.
Be careful how you walk
“As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
But also for this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior.” 2 Peter 1: 3-11
I don’t know about you, but I want to know how to never stumble (verse 10). And the Apostle Peter tells me the key to never stumble from verse 3 to verse 9. Praise be to God to have given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.
Father God, Your goodness and love are forever unmatched.
“Who have I in heaven but You?
And there is nothing on earth that I
desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.” Psalm 73: 25 – 26
Father, I don’t always diligently follow You but each step You offer me a chance to lay down my life yet again and to follow You anew. God, I pray that my heart is never hardened towards You; I pray that my heart is always quick to repent and quick to turn back to You. Father, may I never dwell on my past failures, may I always gaze on the Cross and forever stay there. “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” Philippians 3: 12-16
“We are beggars! This is true.” Martin Luther
Brothers and sisters, we are forever beggars and forever indebted to Jesus Christ. Let us diligently work at never leaving the Cross no matter how hard it gets.
Not I, But Christ
Frances E. Bolton
Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted
Not I, but Christ, be seen be known, be heard;
Not I, but Christ, in ever look and action,
Not I, but Christ, in every thought and word.
Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord!
Oh, to be lost in You!
Oh, that it might be no more I,
But Christ that lives in me!
Not I, but Christ, to gently soothe in sorrow,
Not I, but Christ, to wipe the falling tear;
Not I, but Christ, to lift the weary burden,
Not I, but Christ, to hush away all fear.
Christ, only Christ! No idle words ever falling,
Christ, only Christ; no needless bustling sound;
Christ, only Christ; no self important bearing,
Christ, only Christ; no trace of “I” be found.
Not I, but Christ, my every need supplying,
Not I, but Christ, my strength and health to be;
Not I, but Christ, for body, soul, and spirit,
Christ, only Christ, here and eternally.
Christ, only Christ before long will fill my vision;
Glory excelling soon, full soon I’ll see
Christ, only Christ my every wish fulfilling
Christ, only Christ my all and all to be.
Thank You Jesus! Thank You Jesus for saving me! There is no greater gift than knowing You, Father!!