Posts Tagged ‘ Deny yourself ’
that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being
Ephesians 3:16, ESV
God has offered through His Son all grace, love, and forgiveness of sins, and is thusly worthy of all honor and praise.
God has offered through His Holy Spirit to boldly share that grace, love, and salvation with this world to His glory.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28, ESV
The most important identity we can have is that we belong to Christ, that we love God.
And God agrees. All of history was designed to glorify Christ and draw us to Him.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
Ephesians 5:1, ESV
Is your identity found in Christ? Do people look at you, like the earliest believers, and think of you as a little Christ (Christian)?
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13, ESV
God works in us, most effectively and clearly when we find our identity first and foremost in Christ. If our identity is found in anything else, we go astray to be an example of His wrath, but as one who belongs to Christ, He does amazing things that bless others as examples of His love and grace.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah
Psalm 68:19, ESV
Our identity should be found in the One who saves us and holds our lives in His hands.
Are you Christ’s, or do you still identify by your interests, your love, or what you do?
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4, ESV
We want comfort and ease, but do we want these things more than we want God?
May we seek to please God above our own comfort and needs, for we know He will take care of us.
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:7-8, ESV
The answer to the hatred, hubris, and hedonism of the world is to be like Christ: deny ourselves for the sake of others that they may come to know the lover of our souls, Christ.
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESV
Let us die to selfishness, nailing it to the cross, and instead focus on strengthening our fellow believers through encouraging words and helpful works, always pointing each other to Christ.
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:30, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Jesus came to live amongst us, and His true followers look to Him.
True followers of Jesus rejoice to hear Him and to point others toward Him.
2000 years ago through today, there are those who say we should focus on building our own life, on making sure we are happy and influential.
It is not that we hate ourselves or other people, it is that Jesus has saved His people and we want to show the world who He is.
The world may think we want to be their saviors, but we know He is the rightful King and Savior.
Our mission is not to grow our platform but to grow Christ’s Church.
Yes, like John we deny ourselves and point to Christ, and we deny ourselves because we want the world to know Christ.
It is not self-deprecation, it is glorifying our God who lives in us and is restoring all things, including us.
May we seek the Lord who saves us and to bring Him all glory.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25, ESV
We so often wish to do our own thing, but the Holy Spirit directs us and transforms us to think and act like Christ to the glory of the Father. May we choose to follow.
a simple man of God 