Friday, December 9, 2016

By the Grace of God May We Yield.

'(3) Yield specifically. If believers definitely desire the experience of having their soul and spirit separated, they must consign themselves to the altar of the cross in a specific manner. They must be willing to accept totally every consequence of the operation of the cross and be conformed to the death of the Lord. Before they encounter the cleaving of soul and spirit believers need to bend their will continuously and incessantly towards God and actively choose to have this cleavage. And as the High Priest accomplishes this division in them their heart attitude should be that He should not stay His hand. '  The Spiritual Man- Watchman Nee

2Co 4:5  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 

Mat 20:22  …Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 
Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with…

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 
Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

2Co 1:5  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 
2Co 1:6  And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 
2Co 1:7  And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. 
2Co 1:8  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 
2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead
2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 
2Co 1:11  Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. 

Partakers of suffering.

Too often we only talk of the joy, not the suffering. Truly we need to be willing to suffer for Christ. We need to be willing to accept the baptism of Christ. His baptism herald the beginning of His ministry and that ministry led Him to the cross. The ministry of Christ will lead us to the cross. We have to be willing to accept the cross not solely seek ways to avoid the crosses of our life.

We do that, we want to avoid the crosses. We want to ignore self-examination that leads us to realize our true state of need. It's just easier to ignore it all.  We are told so much, but we refuse to listen to things that cause us distress.  The soul-self strives for mastery and it is so much easier to allow it to reign than to desire to be rid of its control. Do we want to yield?

Do we want to give up control?  Do we want the cross? Truly? Or do we just want the reward without the cross?

It is necessary for us to question ourselves isn't it? We need to seek salvation in Christ and to walk His walk, to be baptized with His baptism. 

The disciples walked the walk and were baptized with Christ's baptism. They suffered greatly. They yielded. 

If we think that because we live in modern times that we don't have a disciples walk to undertake then we are so wrong, so very wrong.  We have to live for Christ. We have to live for Him, not for ourselves.

By His grace, may we yield!

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