Chapter 25 - The Decision
Bonhoeffer- 'The power which men enjoy for a brief space on earth is not without the cognizance and the will of God. If we fall into the hands of men, and meet suffering and death from their violence, we are none the less certain that everything comes from God. The same God who sees no sparrow fall to the ground without his knowledge and will, allows nothing to happen except it be good and profitable for his children and cause for which they stand. We are in God's hands. Therefore, "Fear not."
The time is short. Eternity is long. It is the time of decision. Those who are true to the word and confession on earth will find Jesus Christ standing by their side in the hour of judgment. He will acknowledge them and come to their aid when the accuser demands his rights. All the world will be called to witness as Jesus pronounces our name before his heavenly Father. If we have been true to Jesus in this life, he will be true to us in eternity. But if we have been ashamed of our Lord and his name, he will likewise be ashamed of us and deny us.
The final decision must be made while we are still on earth. The peace of Jesus is the cross. But the cross is the sword God wields on earth. It creates division. The son against the father, the daughter against her mother, the member of the house against the head-- all this will happen in the name of God's kingdom and his peace. That is the work which Christ performs on earth. It is hardly surprising that the harbinger of God's love has been accused of hatred of the human race. Who has a right to speak thus of love for father and mother, for son and daughter, but the destroyer of all human life on the one hand, or the Creator of a new life on the other? Who dare lay such an exclusive claim to man's love and devotion, but the enemy of mankind on the one hand, and the Savior of mankind on the other? Who but the devil, or Christ, the Prince of Peace, will carry the sword into men's houses? God's love for man is altogether different from the love of men for their own flesh and blood. God's love for man means the cross and the way of discipleship. But that cross and that way are both life and resurrection. "He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." In this promise we hear the voice of him who holds the keys of death, the Son of God, who goes to the cross and resurrection, and with him takes his own."
*******
My thoughts-
'God's love for man means the cross and the way of discipleship.'
Do we believe?
Mar_8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Do we believe?
Do you have a cross?
Do you deny yourself?
We are told to take up our cross if we want to follow our Savior.
We cannot follow our Savior without taking up our cross, it is impossible. And in order to take up our cross, we have to deny ourselves.
Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Rom 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
What, but our ungodliness, and worldly lusts; what but our selfishness should be denied? All that is ungodly in us must be denied. We have to deny ourselves anything that would take the love of God from anyone in any way. We must deny ourselves.
One of the hardest things we are called to do is deny ourselves, is there any wonder that few will do so?
We don't have a clue how to deny ourselves it is so incredibly foreign to us.
God, please teach us to deny ourselves, we need to learn this from YOU. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us, to help us, to live in us doing for us what we have no idea how to do. The world we live in today is so incredibly messed up with it's modernity. The simple life no longer exists for so many. A life of denying self has been twisted into something used to glorify self, things are so turned upside-down.
Please, Lord, save us from ourselves!
We want to hear you call our name, we want you to know us, we want you to live in us, please Lord help us to find the very narrow way of discipleship, denying ourselves, picking up our cross all to FOLLOW you, please.
Bonhoeffer- 'The power which men enjoy for a brief space on earth is not without the cognizance and the will of God. If we fall into the hands of men, and meet suffering and death from their violence, we are none the less certain that everything comes from God. The same God who sees no sparrow fall to the ground without his knowledge and will, allows nothing to happen except it be good and profitable for his children and cause for which they stand. We are in God's hands. Therefore, "Fear not."
The time is short. Eternity is long. It is the time of decision. Those who are true to the word and confession on earth will find Jesus Christ standing by their side in the hour of judgment. He will acknowledge them and come to their aid when the accuser demands his rights. All the world will be called to witness as Jesus pronounces our name before his heavenly Father. If we have been true to Jesus in this life, he will be true to us in eternity. But if we have been ashamed of our Lord and his name, he will likewise be ashamed of us and deny us.
The final decision must be made while we are still on earth. The peace of Jesus is the cross. But the cross is the sword God wields on earth. It creates division. The son against the father, the daughter against her mother, the member of the house against the head-- all this will happen in the name of God's kingdom and his peace. That is the work which Christ performs on earth. It is hardly surprising that the harbinger of God's love has been accused of hatred of the human race. Who has a right to speak thus of love for father and mother, for son and daughter, but the destroyer of all human life on the one hand, or the Creator of a new life on the other? Who dare lay such an exclusive claim to man's love and devotion, but the enemy of mankind on the one hand, and the Savior of mankind on the other? Who but the devil, or Christ, the Prince of Peace, will carry the sword into men's houses? God's love for man is altogether different from the love of men for their own flesh and blood. God's love for man means the cross and the way of discipleship. But that cross and that way are both life and resurrection. "He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." In this promise we hear the voice of him who holds the keys of death, the Son of God, who goes to the cross and resurrection, and with him takes his own."
*******
My thoughts-
'God's love for man means the cross and the way of discipleship.'
Do we believe?
Mar_8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Do we believe?
Do you have a cross?
Do you deny yourself?
We are told to take up our cross if we want to follow our Savior.
We cannot follow our Savior without taking up our cross, it is impossible. And in order to take up our cross, we have to deny ourselves.
Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Rom 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
What, but our ungodliness, and worldly lusts; what but our selfishness should be denied? All that is ungodly in us must be denied. We have to deny ourselves anything that would take the love of God from anyone in any way. We must deny ourselves.
One of the hardest things we are called to do is deny ourselves, is there any wonder that few will do so?
We don't have a clue how to deny ourselves it is so incredibly foreign to us.
God, please teach us to deny ourselves, we need to learn this from YOU. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us, to help us, to live in us doing for us what we have no idea how to do. The world we live in today is so incredibly messed up with it's modernity. The simple life no longer exists for so many. A life of denying self has been twisted into something used to glorify self, things are so turned upside-down.
Please, Lord, save us from ourselves!
We want to hear you call our name, we want you to know us, we want you to live in us, please Lord help us to find the very narrow way of discipleship, denying ourselves, picking up our cross all to FOLLOW you, please.
No comments:
Post a Comment