A life of service, a life of self renunciation
Continued from yesterday - Self Denial-
'Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian's life.
Such customs have only one purpose-- to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which God would have done.
Fasting helps to DISCIPLINE the SELF-INDULGENT and SLOTHFUL WILL which is so reluctant to serve the Lord, and it helps to humiliate and chasten the flesh.
By practicing abstemiousness we show the world how different the Christian life is from its own.
If there is no element of asceticism in our lives, if we give free rein to the desires of the flesh (taking care of course to keep within the limits of what seems permissible to the world), we shall find it hard to train for the service of Christ.
When the Flesh is satisfied it is hard to pray with cheerfulness or to devote oneself to a life of service which calls for much self-renunciation.
So the Christian needs to observe a strict exterior discipline.
But we are not to imagine that that alone will crush the will of the flesh or that there is any way of mortifying our old man other than by faith in Jesus.'
Sentence by sentence now--
4. 'By practicing abstemiousness we show the world how different the Christian life is from its
own. '
For all that we aren't to go about mourning and sad, with ashes on our faces and a tearful expression so that others see and realize what we are doing, when we do fast we are to be cheerful about it. We are NOT to publicize what we are doing to others, taking glory to ourselves for our 'self-control'. Our fasting truly should be between us and God. The world may notice and when it does hopefully what it will see is someone devoted to God more than someone devoted to selfishness, to self-serving.
If we DO NOT deny our flesh in any way and claim that we are blessed that we don't have to deny ourselves, then we are depriving ourselves of true service for Christ. IF we honestly believe that only some people have to deny themselves, then we are not in the service of Christ. Because we are blessed with so much that we aren't forced into a life of deprivation, we are even MORE accountable to deny ourselves than those who have so little to deprive themselves of. Do you want to be in the service of Christ? Then you have to follow His teachings and He has taught us that we are to deny ourselves and bear our crosses. He did not tell us that we will be FORCED to deny ourselves and just accept that FORCED self-denial when it comes. If someone else is FORCING us, or if circumstances are forcing us to deny ourselves then it isn't truly SELF DENYING at all! When the will to choose to deny self is taken away, it is no longer self denial at all. We are STRIVING to live as our Savior desires of us and this takes conscious thought, conscious action, not passiveness.
Mat_19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Please Lord, help us to truly understand YOUR will for us! We would be in YOUR SERVICE! Help us to comprehend our NEED to deny our selves and pick up our cross, as Your love for us, and our LOVE for YOU is realized in our lives and how we live. All to YOU LORD, all for YOUR eyes only, YOUR GLORY not ours!
All praise, all glory, all honor unto YOU LORD! ALL IN YOUR GRACE and MERCY, YOUR LOVE!
'Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian's life.
Such customs have only one purpose-- to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which God would have done.
Fasting helps to DISCIPLINE the SELF-INDULGENT and SLOTHFUL WILL which is so reluctant to serve the Lord, and it helps to humiliate and chasten the flesh.
By practicing abstemiousness we show the world how different the Christian life is from its own.
If there is no element of asceticism in our lives, if we give free rein to the desires of the flesh (taking care of course to keep within the limits of what seems permissible to the world), we shall find it hard to train for the service of Christ.
When the Flesh is satisfied it is hard to pray with cheerfulness or to devote oneself to a life of service which calls for much self-renunciation.
So the Christian needs to observe a strict exterior discipline.
But we are not to imagine that that alone will crush the will of the flesh or that there is any way of mortifying our old man other than by faith in Jesus.'
Sentence by sentence now--
- 'Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian's life.'
- 'Such customs have only one purpose-- to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which God would have done. '
- 'Fasting helps to DISCIPLINE the SELF-INDULGENT and SLOTHFUL WILL which is so reluctant to serve the Lord, and it helps to humiliate and chasten the flesh.'
4. 'By practicing abstemiousness we show the world how different the Christian life is from its
own. '
For all that we aren't to go about mourning and sad, with ashes on our faces and a tearful expression so that others see and realize what we are doing, when we do fast we are to be cheerful about it. We are NOT to publicize what we are doing to others, taking glory to ourselves for our 'self-control'. Our fasting truly should be between us and God. The world may notice and when it does hopefully what it will see is someone devoted to God more than someone devoted to selfishness, to self-serving.
- 'If there is no element of asceticism in our lives, if we give free rein to the desires of the flesh (taking care of course to keep within the limits of what seems permissible to the world), we shall find it hard to train for the service of Christ.
If we DO NOT deny our flesh in any way and claim that we are blessed that we don't have to deny ourselves, then we are depriving ourselves of true service for Christ. IF we honestly believe that only some people have to deny themselves, then we are not in the service of Christ. Because we are blessed with so much that we aren't forced into a life of deprivation, we are even MORE accountable to deny ourselves than those who have so little to deprive themselves of. Do you want to be in the service of Christ? Then you have to follow His teachings and He has taught us that we are to deny ourselves and bear our crosses. He did not tell us that we will be FORCED to deny ourselves and just accept that FORCED self-denial when it comes. If someone else is FORCING us, or if circumstances are forcing us to deny ourselves then it isn't truly SELF DENYING at all! When the will to choose to deny self is taken away, it is no longer self denial at all. We are STRIVING to live as our Savior desires of us and this takes conscious thought, conscious action, not passiveness.
- 'When the Flesh is satisfied it is hard to pray with cheerfulness or to devote oneself to a life of service which calls for much self-renunciation. '
Mat_19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
- 'So the Christian needs to observe a strict exterior discipline.'
- 'But we are not to imagine that that alone will crush the will of the flesh or that there is any way of mortifying our old man other than by faith in Jesus.'
Please Lord, help us to truly understand YOUR will for us! We would be in YOUR SERVICE! Help us to comprehend our NEED to deny our selves and pick up our cross, as Your love for us, and our LOVE for YOU is realized in our lives and how we live. All to YOU LORD, all for YOUR eyes only, YOUR GLORY not ours!
All praise, all glory, all honor unto YOU LORD! ALL IN YOUR GRACE and MERCY, YOUR LOVE!