Living and Learning!!!
July 1st, 2008
“It is when we are at the end of our own, that we can enter into the riches of God’s resources. It is when we possess nothing, that we can possess all things.” -Smith Wigglesworth-
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
In knowing that I am crucified w/ Christ and knowing what Christ has done for me/us why is it that we seem to always let the flesh get the best of us at times. More and more the LORD is teaching me to let go of my PRIDE, to let go of MY LIFE and to let God be God in my life.
Why is it that we struggle so much with that and not just let God do His thing?
We know that the bible says in Galatians 5:17a that, “the flesh lust against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another.”
So as we see, there is a constant battle going on even though we might not see it, it is happening. Christ has conquered sin, He paid the price that no one could do, and now as His children we need to do are part, fulfill the our role, to have the mindset that Jesus had when He was a boy, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business.”
Just this past week one of the street boys here passed away from having pneumonia, he was only 13 years old and as we went to the viewing some of the other boys that I know had asked me, “where do you think he is at now?” My one response was that, “only God knows.” But as thoughts went on in my head of what lifestyle he was in, “a 13 yrs old boy whose parents are alcoholic’s, one who lived on the streets with one of his younger brothers, one who learned and was raised how to survive living on the streets, whether stealing, lying, fighting or whatever it might take to survive and I am sure the list goes on…
All to say are we going to let life pass by w/o giving the LIFE that was giving to us. Christ has given us all something, what are we going to do with it? Are we going to let the life (busyness of this world), sin, pride or whatever it might be reign in us or stop us or are we going to do something about it? Or better put allow the Lord through us make that difference. Physically and spiritually souls are dying. Christians or non-Christians there are ones struggling, backsliding, hurting, wanting answers, and etc…
I pray that we would all, “let go and let God,” and when the world (the flesh) pulls may we (the power of the Spirit given to us) pull back. May we stand in what Christ has done for us, take what Christ has given to us, and live as what Christ has shown us.
Not trying to pound the finger on anyone but speaking from the heart and what the Lord is showing me, and what I myself need to do. And it is only by JESUS I can do this!!!!
On another note, I have been learning and mediating on I Peter 1:2 on the word sanctification and our role in it. A favorite Pastor of mine Britt Merrick that I like to listen to on the Internet said this about sanctification; there are 2 parts in our role of Sanctification.
- Is Passive- Allowing God to do the work He wants to do!!! Romans 6:19c “Now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.”
- Is Active- Flee from sin, our role is to cleanse our self, God is doing it in us but we got to engage in it.
Our position is in Christ, and God’s see’s us in Christ and He only see’s us through Christ, and who is Christ; spotless Lamb, blameless, etc… God see’s it that way and we need to see it that way too.
I like this quote from Britt Merrick, “We don’t feel holy but God made us holy!”
Not saying we are perfect but God has called us to be holy, so as it says in I Peter 1:15-16 “But as He who called you is Holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, b/c it is written, ‘Be holy for I am holy.”
PURSUE SANCTIFICATION!!!!!!
