GrannieAnnie wrote:
Quote: [b]"The first which is selfish will make me cowardly and unfaithful, and may change my singing of “Hosanna” into my crying “Crucify.” The second, which is Godly, will enable me to suffer, to dare all things, if necessary to die; but it will make me victor in fellowship with the triumphant King." [/b]
Brother frin, This very thought has been grinding in me for actually decades now.
To come on here and find this post is remarkable.
Since I found Salvation, whenever I'd bring up persecution or the other 'uncomfortable' things that may and can happen to us ... folks shy back and away.
I can't help that for over 30 years, the Lord has laid it on my heart, just for one of many other people, to prepare those who call themselves Christians to gear up for the very worst that they can imagine ... within Biblical limits of course.
Years later, reading Richard Wurmbrand's many books ... he said he was called to the U.S. to write to "us" Americans to prepare us for what he 'knew' was coming ... having been through it himself. That was his drive - to prepare 'us'.
I'm not a Wurmbrand, nor anybody actually, but when you can't shake a burden for over 30 years, what can you do. You just [i]can't[/i] shake it.
I'm sick of legalism and I'm sick of easy-believism.
I hear folks getting uncomfortable, not with the anti-easy-believism but anti-legalism.
I mean on this board.
The folks I meet daily in this "Belt-Buckle-of-the-Bible-Belt" live out easy-believism with no qualms at all. And would cheer me on against what 'they' think is 'legalism'.
But those who claim to want true Holiness, start getting a bit nervous if you say you're anti-legalism.
To me, just [u]some[/u] of the anti-legalism verses are found in Gal. 3 and Romans 8.
I really believe we need to meditate on what you've posted here. Our "faith" will soon be tested beyond measure ... and that is when we'll find out what it was made out of.
Both legalism and easy-believism are just FLESH.
Hi Annie,
Which is easier to say? You must live by a set of thou shall not or it is ok for you to sin, God loves you and He understands. Both are about us and not about Him. The faith we have been called to is to be directed by Him. It is not for us we have been saved but for the Father. Did Jesus die on the cross for us or to do the will of the Father?
“.… What was the joy in the heart of the King?… His joy was that of the certainty that by the way of His coming Cross and passion, He would remake men at the center of their being, so that they should be pure, clean, holy and conformed to the character of God.”
Luke 2:49
And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
John 5:19
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John 6:38
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 7:16
Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
John 8:28-29
Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
1 Cor. 15:27-28
For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. [28] And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
God’s will is for us through His will working in us to be conformed to His character which is seen in Christ Jesus.
Compare John 8:28-29 with John 14:26; 16:13 We have the wisdom to know what is the will of God and what is coming living within us through the Holy Spirit and thus nothing should catch us unaware, it is in seeking our own way that we miss and are unprepared for what is to come.
When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer great fear came upon me. There I was sitting in the exam room with my wife and two of my children, our oldest son and our daughter Amie, our miracle girl. I did not even know they were going to be there. The doctor walks in and says there is no easy way to say this you have a mass growing on both of your kidneys and with your family history we suspect 99% likely hood that it is; he paused and his voice broke and he said cancer, there he said I said it cancer.
Well I was not even surprised for I had already concluded that was the reason he had called me and said we need to talk and you need to bring your wife. My only question was both kidneys and his answer was yes both kidneys.
Now the fear part, my dad at 49 died of kidney cancer and his brother who was a couple years younger also died of kidney cancer a few years after my dad.
I was alone after all this great news and as I talked to the Lord I said, Lord I know you can heal me and that would be great and I don’t want to leave my family all alone with no one to take care of them; Well as clear as if He was physically present He said “you do not believe I am able to take care of your family? Then He said this “I will take care of you and your family if you will accept my will. Do you and will you trust me for my will to be done?” Those words opened my eyes to the very fact that we are here to do the will of the Father and the best way for this to happen is to accept the Father’s will no matter what situation we are in to simply pray as Jesus not my will but thy will be done. It is only by His will being done in every part of our lives that He is glorified and our purpose for being here is to.
” The second, which is Godly, will enable me to suffer, to dare all things, if necessary to die; but it will make me victor in fellowship with the triumphant King."
Matthew 5:13-16
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. [14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
And what is that salt and that light that is to shine through us before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven?
The WILL of the Father prayed for daily and accepted being lived in us through Christ Jesus so that we can say:
Psalm 27:1
A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
In His Love
pastorfrin
