"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children." Christians must be like Christ. They should have the same spirit, exert the same influence, and have the same moral excellence that He possessed. The idolatrous and corrupt in heart must repent and turn to God. Those who are proud and self-righteous must abase self and become penitent and meek and lowly in heart. The worldly-minded must have the tendrils of the heart removed from the rubbish of the world, around which they are clinging, and entwined about God; they must become spiritually minded. The dishonest and untruthful must become just and true. The ambitious and covetous must be hid in Jesus and seek His glory, not their own. They must despise their own holiness and lay up their treasure above. The prayerless must feel the need of both secret and family prayer, and must make their supplications to God with great earnestness.
{5T 249.2} EGW Testimonies for the Church.
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Is it a novel idea- Christians must be like Christ?
He is our ROLE MODEL, isn't He? He is the One we are to be modeling our lives after. Yet at every turn we come face to face with our selfishness, our self-serving. We've lied to ourselves and call it by another name, we call it 'taking care of ourselves'. We say we have to look after ourselves or we won't be able to look after others. And we tell ourselves others have to understand that because they're the same way.
As our Savior takes residence in us self has to leave us, and so we are going to be shown our self-serving more and more right up until the return of our Lord. Every day we are going to come face to face with our selfishness. Every day, more and more it will be pointed out to us and if it isn't then we have to truly question our desire to be Christ's.
Once our selfishness is revealed we can wallow in self pity and despair of ever being selfless but that is exactly what Satan wants us to do, exactly!
It's good to feel the anguish of realization that we are so incredibly selfish, but not good to let that anguish to turn hopelessness.
Selfishness can appear in so many forms and each of its forms will be made known to us. Our Savior will not leave us helpless. With every temptation there is a way out of it before we let it draw us into sin and yes, selfishness is sinful by its very nature though many will tell you it's not.
By being made aware of our sin we are being shown that there is hope in Christ, through Christ.
Please Lord keep us aware of our selfishness, keep us aware of anything that will keep us from You. Help us choose You over all other things so we may be Yours fully!
{5T 249.2} EGW Testimonies for the Church.
*******
Is it a novel idea- Christians must be like Christ?
He is our ROLE MODEL, isn't He? He is the One we are to be modeling our lives after. Yet at every turn we come face to face with our selfishness, our self-serving. We've lied to ourselves and call it by another name, we call it 'taking care of ourselves'. We say we have to look after ourselves or we won't be able to look after others. And we tell ourselves others have to understand that because they're the same way.
As our Savior takes residence in us self has to leave us, and so we are going to be shown our self-serving more and more right up until the return of our Lord. Every day we are going to come face to face with our selfishness. Every day, more and more it will be pointed out to us and if it isn't then we have to truly question our desire to be Christ's.
Once our selfishness is revealed we can wallow in self pity and despair of ever being selfless but that is exactly what Satan wants us to do, exactly!
It's good to feel the anguish of realization that we are so incredibly selfish, but not good to let that anguish to turn hopelessness.
Selfishness can appear in so many forms and each of its forms will be made known to us. Our Savior will not leave us helpless. With every temptation there is a way out of it before we let it draw us into sin and yes, selfishness is sinful by its very nature though many will tell you it's not.
By being made aware of our sin we are being shown that there is hope in Christ, through Christ.
Please Lord keep us aware of our selfishness, keep us aware of anything that will keep us from You. Help us choose You over all other things so we may be Yours fully!
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