“Then said Jesus to his disciples, If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it: and whoever will lose
his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul? (Luke 16:24-26 NIV)
Jesus himself spoke in the losing of one’s
life and the things in one’s world, that a new life is gained. Life for us comes from Christ by His death, as
it secures the new life He gives us as a Risen Lord.
It was in the turning to follow after
Christ as their Savior, that the Apostles died to their former lives and were each
given a new life. It is the same with each
one of us … the transformation of Christ in our lives to a new life comes as we
die to ourselves. As believers, it is
vital to remember that from the smallest detail to the most important aspects of
our faith in our relationships with strangers, family and brothers and sisters
in Christ: everything that matters has an element of dying in order to be
reborn in new life. It is in the losing
or letting go of our selfish old sinful natures that we are reborn, as we take
on the new nature of Christ. Christ’s love poured forth in His death to save us
and forgive us. We need to remember this foundational truth in order to tap
into His redemptive power in any and all of our relationships. As we trust and obey Him in that power, we have life in the abundant
ways He desires for us as redeemed followers.
New life cannot come without dying. It
is as simple as that. The Holy Spirit is grieved when new life cannot come because
we hold unto our old selfish natures. It
is incredibly sad that we often times long for new life but refuse to die to
ourselves in order for that new life to be birthed in us.
Oh
Father in Heaven, I come to You, broken and repentant, as again I need to die
to myself. I lay down and release to
You, oh Lord … my old hopeless, selfish and unholy ways that keep me from the
new life that you long to give me. Lord,
break my prideful heart of stone that I may have Your heart as I follow your
ways above everything else on this earth. Forgive my sins as I die to them and their
power. Help me by your Holy Spirit to forgive
others of all their sins against me, as I remember Your forgiveness of my own sins. Craft a new heart in this earthen vessel of my
life, as I die to myself and find new life in Jesus Christ , my blessed
redeeming and empowering Lord. In the
name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger,
brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you” (Ephesians 4:30-32 NIV).
Scripture Readings Ephesians 4 & 5
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