Post by 2fw8212a on Oct 16, 2018 18:31:36 GMT -5
As the Lord Jesus said:
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - John 15:13
"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." - John 15:14
Now, as He gave His life for us we are expected to give our lives for Him in a similar way.
"...Let us also go, that we may die with Him." - John 11:16
"And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." - Galatians 5:24
"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." - Matthew 16:25
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing..." - John 6:63
"...the works of the flesh are evident, which are:
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath,
selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness,
revelries, and the like..." - Galatians 5:19-21
Yes, that is what living to ourselves is like. Living for our own pleasures and seeking our selfish ambitions.
And I tell you, if we decide to repent of this life and live for Christ... Wouldn't it be much better?!
Yes, it would be much better. Obviously.
"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23
And that is what we must seek daily, to live for Christ and not ourselves.
To give up our life for the flesh and live for Him, and do what is pleasant in His sight.
The flesh only wants to deceive us through its lusts, which profits nothing and only seeks itself.
"What fruit did you have then in the things of which
you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." - Romans 6:21
"that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old
man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts..." - Ephesians 4:22
"For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for
us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps..." - 1 Peter 2:21
And by faith in Christ it is possible, we just have to believe and let Him heal us each day.
So we can live more and more for Him and do what is pleasant in His sight.
"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”" - Romans 1:17
"...one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead..." - Philippians 3:13
We must seek to love Christ more and more each day. It is so encouraging when He says:
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - John 15:13
"...If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." - Matthew 16:24
Yes, to live for our own sinful pleasures and desires profits us nothing.
Then we must seek to know the truth and to practice it.
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - John 17:17
We will live much better following Him by faith, and we will know the truth and the truth will make us free.
Free, free to worship the Father in spirit and truth...
"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
The truth that sanctifies, by faith, all those who believe in His words.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes
in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment,
but has passed from death into life." - John 5:24
"So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able
to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." - Acts 20:32
"to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." - Acts 26:18
It is a process, and we improve day by day, and it is joyful. Yes, it is joyful.
At the start it seems we are losing life, it sounds like dying indeed.
"Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your
heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you." - John 16:22
But it is dying to death, and discovering life, the true life.
"He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." - Matthew 10:39
"...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." - John 10:10
Yes, greater love has no one than this:
"...than to lay down one's life for his friends." - John 15:13
He gave His life for you. And now He calls you to do the same.
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father
will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." - John 14:23
"...And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”" - John 21:19
"and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer
for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." - 2 Corinthians 5:15
"For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:10-11
"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." - Romans 6:14
"eternal life to those who by patient continuance in
doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality..." - Romans 2:7
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
as I have loved you, that you also love one another." - John 13:34
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." - Ephesians 4:31
"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love..." - Ephesians 5:1-2
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16
Blessings, blessings to you in Jesus' name!
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - John 15:13
"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." - John 15:14
Now, as He gave His life for us we are expected to give our lives for Him in a similar way.
"...Let us also go, that we may die with Him." - John 11:16
"And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." - Galatians 5:24
"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." - Matthew 16:25
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing..." - John 6:63
"...the works of the flesh are evident, which are:
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath,
selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness,
revelries, and the like..." - Galatians 5:19-21
Yes, that is what living to ourselves is like. Living for our own pleasures and seeking our selfish ambitions.
And I tell you, if we decide to repent of this life and live for Christ... Wouldn't it be much better?!
Yes, it would be much better. Obviously.
"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23
And that is what we must seek daily, to live for Christ and not ourselves.
To give up our life for the flesh and live for Him, and do what is pleasant in His sight.
The flesh only wants to deceive us through its lusts, which profits nothing and only seeks itself.
"What fruit did you have then in the things of which
you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." - Romans 6:21
"that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old
man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts..." - Ephesians 4:22
"For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for
us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps..." - 1 Peter 2:21
And by faith in Christ it is possible, we just have to believe and let Him heal us each day.
So we can live more and more for Him and do what is pleasant in His sight.
"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”" - Romans 1:17
"...one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead..." - Philippians 3:13
We must seek to love Christ more and more each day. It is so encouraging when He says:
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - John 15:13
"...If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." - Matthew 16:24
Yes, to live for our own sinful pleasures and desires profits us nothing.
Then we must seek to know the truth and to practice it.
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - John 17:17
We will live much better following Him by faith, and we will know the truth and the truth will make us free.
Free, free to worship the Father in spirit and truth...
"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
The truth that sanctifies, by faith, all those who believe in His words.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes
in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment,
but has passed from death into life." - John 5:24
"So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able
to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." - Acts 20:32
"to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." - Acts 26:18
It is a process, and we improve day by day, and it is joyful. Yes, it is joyful.
At the start it seems we are losing life, it sounds like dying indeed.
"Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your
heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you." - John 16:22
But it is dying to death, and discovering life, the true life.
"He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." - Matthew 10:39
"...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." - John 10:10
Yes, greater love has no one than this:
"...than to lay down one's life for his friends." - John 15:13
He gave His life for you. And now He calls you to do the same.
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father
will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." - John 14:23
"...And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”" - John 21:19
"and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer
for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." - 2 Corinthians 5:15
"For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:10-11
"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." - Romans 6:14
"eternal life to those who by patient continuance in
doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality..." - Romans 2:7
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
as I have loved you, that you also love one another." - John 13:34
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." - Ephesians 4:31
"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love..." - Ephesians 5:1-2
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16
Blessings, blessings to you in Jesus' name!