Choosing Daily to live Spirit-led
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians living in Corinth (Greece):
“I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”
(The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15: 31 NASB)
- Death never feels good.
- Death and dying are uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, death in the Father’s hands, is NEVER wasted.
Death in Christ Jesus’ hands brings access to new life.
We exchange death for life, corruption for incorruption, good for better, temporal for lasting, and earthly for everlasting. As we daily lay down our lives at the foot of the cross, this is NEVER a wasted action. When we walk away daily from who we once were to become more like Jesus, then we are completely transformed into His Beauty. As we “choose life,” then daily, our old life must die. So, yes, death is uncomfortable, painful in fact, and is a high price, requiring ALL that we are, BUT GOD makes the impossible—POSSIBLE—through His Holy Spirit directing our hearts.
“Your ears will hear a word behind you,
(The Book of Isaiah 30: 21 NASB)
“This is the way, walk in it,”
whenever [or also ‘whether’] you turn to the right or to the left.”
When the prophet Isaiah was writing, his words were for the inhabitants living in Jerusalem, who had been oppressed for many years. They desired rest from their torment and peace from their adversaries. They longed for God to intervene, to save them. However, they needed to turn away from the idols they had made, to scatter them away from their being, and to proclaim once and for all—“Be gone!” (The Book of Isaiah 30: 22b NASB) As the children of Israel obeyed, then the Lord would help them. These people were so oppressed that they were considering the benefits of making a treaty with the Egyptians, the very ones who generations before were their captors. This current generation of Israelites had forgotten the anguish their ancestors suffered at the hands of the Egyptians, and Isaiah was used by the LORD to remind them: Their Help Came NOT from Egypt BUT FROM GOD.
In similar fashion, when the apostle Paul was sent by God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, they were living within a sin-filled city, a place where images of gods were constructed and placed throughout the city. This action was done so the people could pause to offer worship to the many—mini—gods throughout their day and everywhere they went. These gods were named after the Greek gods, and there was even an unnamed god in case a traveler from another place stopped by Corinth and did not find their own god to worship. The unnamed god was there for the tourists. Everyone had their own god to worship. However, they needed to turn away from the idols they had made, to scatter them away from their being, and to proclaim once and for all—“Be gone!” (The Book of Isaiah 30: 22b NASB) Paul was used by the LORD to remind them: Their Help Came NOT from idol worship BUT FROM GOD.
Leaving what we “love” or what is “comfortable” and “a learned way of life” is never pleasant.
- Death never feels good, BUT death in the Father’s hands, is NEVER wasted.
- Death and dying are uncomfortable, BUT death in Christ Jesus’ hands brings access to new life.
As believers in Jesus’ work on the cross and in the grave, we are called to daily lay down our selfish desires, our sinful nature, our wants, our whatever stands in our way of total submission to God and to pick up our cross (daily) and follow Him. Jesus Himself tells us so.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples,
(The Gospel According to Matthew 16: 24 NASB)
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
Amazingly, when we became children of God, He sealed us with His Holy Spirit, placing Himself inside our being, making this daily “dying to self” POSSIBLE THROUGH HIM. In the Scripture, Jesus goes on by explaining exactly what will be our benefit as we make this daily decision.
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
(The Gospel According to Matthew 16: 25 NASB)
Truly, death never feels good and dying to self is uncomfortable. Nevertheless, death in the Father’s hands, is NEVER wasted, and Death in Christ Jesus’ hands brings access to new life.
May we choose this day to live Spirit-led.