Agree To Dying To Self

Agree To Dying To Self

Luke 9:23  "Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."

1 Corinthians 15:31  " I die daily."

Romans 6:1-4  "What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Jesus bade His followers take up the cross and bear it after Him.  To the disciples His words, though dimly comprehended, pointed to their submission to the most bitter humiliation,--submission even unto death for the sake of Christ.  No more complete self-surrender could the Savior's words have pictured.

It is because men are not more than half converted that the church is so dead and lifeless.  There are many who are and have been all their lives been half Christians.  Their names are in the Book of Life, and if they turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, they then respect the voice that says unto them, "Seek ye My face," and reply, "Thy face, Lord will I seek," and they shall see God with a clear, elevated, spiritual sense.  The religious sentiment awakened in the heart is recognized as God's call, and is obeyed.  Everyone will be tested and tried in the very way that is the most trying.  Men cannot trust to their own wisdom.  Self-sufficiency, if indulged, will be their stumbling block.  Self must die and not have a resurrection every other day.  The words must be truly spoken, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."  The "I" is a very hard personality to kill.  "I" rises into life in full proportions if given the least opportunity or encouragement.  Then, confident in their own supposed wisdom, men forsake the right way.

Why is it so hard to lead a self-denying life?  Because professed Christians are not dead to the world.  It is easy living after we are dead.

The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world.  This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches.  Many so many, who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy.  They have been baptized, but they were buried alive.  Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ.

We cannot retain self and yet be filled with the fullness of God.  We must be emptied of self.  If heaven is gained by us at last, it will be only through the renunciation of self and the receiving of the mind of Christ.

We must give up the world and all worldliness and cling to Christ and His character traits if we would enter the kingdom of heaven and dwell in the beautiful new earth.  It is so beyond my imagination I just can't comprehend it at all.  So far beyond anything this world has to offer, so peaceful, so joyful, I just love to talk about it.  Grandma Joan