I bit into an apple this evening. It was quite hard, but much of it was rotten. I cut it in half. The rot had spread through the apple. There was some that was probably edible, but I had no way of separating good from bad.
Some Christians think that they are like that apple. They set about trying to separate the bad from the good, suppressing what they see as wrong and trying to reinforce what they see as good. It does not work.
God's solution is simple. It is death and resurrection. We are crucified with Christ and raised again to new life. However, this applies only to the spirit of the believer. The soul needs the be delivered also.
God does this by the same principle of death and resurrection. However, this is not automatic. We must choose to die to the natural self that resides in the soul. This is what Jesus meant when He told us to carry our cross daily. Our worst enemy is not the evil part of us. It is our natural strengths and talents. God can use our natural abilities, but too often we employ them to please ourselves, not in the service of God's kingdom.
Even when we have the best intentions, it is easy to be a hindrance to the Kingdom rather than a help. Perhaps the best example of this is Peter when he tried to discourage Jesus from going to Jerusalem where He was to be killed (Matthew 16:23). What a noble sentiment! What a kind friend! Or so we might think. Not according to Jesus. Peter was an unwitting dupe of Satan and his thinking was that of a natural man, not according to God's will.
When we see this truth, we should ask Jesus to change us. We cannot change ourselves. All Lord Jesus asks of us is our willingness. As we see the things about us that are a hindrance, we can and should ask Lord Jesus to deliver us.
This sounds simple enough. The problem is that we will likely be asked to let go of things that we love. I've yet to meet a Christian who does not have something precious that he does not want to relinquish. It was a battle for me as I valued my independence. Eventually I realised that independence was a curse, not a blessing. So I let it go. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Are you willing to serve Lord Jesus whatever the cost? To be born again costs nothing. To be a spiritual person costs everything. But it's giving away what is worthless to obtain what is priceless. Don't be like the rich young ruler. He could not bring himself to give up his riches. Eventually, he would have lost it all anyway. "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose".
Some Christians think that they are like that apple. They set about trying to separate the bad from the good, suppressing what they see as wrong and trying to reinforce what they see as good. It does not work.
God's solution is simple. It is death and resurrection. We are crucified with Christ and raised again to new life. However, this applies only to the spirit of the believer. The soul needs the be delivered also.
God does this by the same principle of death and resurrection. However, this is not automatic. We must choose to die to the natural self that resides in the soul. This is what Jesus meant when He told us to carry our cross daily. Our worst enemy is not the evil part of us. It is our natural strengths and talents. God can use our natural abilities, but too often we employ them to please ourselves, not in the service of God's kingdom.
Even when we have the best intentions, it is easy to be a hindrance to the Kingdom rather than a help. Perhaps the best example of this is Peter when he tried to discourage Jesus from going to Jerusalem where He was to be killed (Matthew 16:23). What a noble sentiment! What a kind friend! Or so we might think. Not according to Jesus. Peter was an unwitting dupe of Satan and his thinking was that of a natural man, not according to God's will.
When we see this truth, we should ask Jesus to change us. We cannot change ourselves. All Lord Jesus asks of us is our willingness. As we see the things about us that are a hindrance, we can and should ask Lord Jesus to deliver us.
This sounds simple enough. The problem is that we will likely be asked to let go of things that we love. I've yet to meet a Christian who does not have something precious that he does not want to relinquish. It was a battle for me as I valued my independence. Eventually I realised that independence was a curse, not a blessing. So I let it go. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Are you willing to serve Lord Jesus whatever the cost? To be born again costs nothing. To be a spiritual person costs everything. But it's giving away what is worthless to obtain what is priceless. Don't be like the rich young ruler. He could not bring himself to give up his riches. Eventually, he would have lost it all anyway. "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose".
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