Dying to Live

 I have been irritable, grumpy, short tempered, and just plain ole mean! I sure don't mean to be short with my children or sigh heavily when they inconvenience me. I hate it when hurtful things are said or my body language doesn't communicate what my heart truly feels. I hate my sin!! Plain and simple! I may hate my sin but I am not attempting to put it to death. 

 John Owen, a puritan preacher, once said about sin...

"Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you."

 I am so thankful for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. Thankful that the Spirit applies the truth of  God's word to my heart so that I can repent and look to Jesus. 

A brief mention of a text during the sermon Sunday caught my attention, 

^"Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Matthew 16:24-25

  Following Jesus is a call to die. A call to die to my flesh, my desires, my wants, my wishes. It is also a call to LIVE to Him. A call to LOVE freely and LIVE completely.

This call to die is a call to live!

What that means for me as a wife, mother, and sister in Christ is that I need to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength and love my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:34-39). It means I need to put away all bitterness, wrath, and anger and be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. I need to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for as!  (Ephesians 4:31-5:2). 

"What happens in the messiness of relationships is that our hearts are revealed, our weaknesses are exposed, and we start coming to the end of ourselves. Only when this happens do we reach out for the help God alone can provide. Weak and needy people finding their hope in Christ's grace are what mark a mature relationship. The most dangerous aspect of your relationships is not your weakness, but your delusions of strength. Self-reliance is almost always a component of a bad relationship. While we would like to avoid the mess and enjoy deep intimate community, God says that it is in the very process pf working through the mess that intimacy is found."

-  Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Tim Lane & Paul Tripp page 12

(italics mine)

 

Nothing brings me to the end of myself quicker than my children. I KNOW this is because God intendeds to use them in the shaping of my soul! They daily prove to me that I am not enough and I need way more Jesus in my life. They remind me of my need for a savior and they display grace to me as I am a work in progress.

My children are not perfect, they are a mess like their momma! We all sin! When you put us in the same room it can be combustible at times and end poorly with tears from all parties. Like their momma they too have a Hope. An eternal hope that rests in Christ Jesus and His finished work on the cross.  

Like my children, I too have a Hope! I can be joyful, patient, kind and loving because of what Jesus has done. I can walk in love because Christ loved me and gave himself up for me. 

I can truly live by following Christ's call to His disciples, by denying myself, taking up my cross and following Jesus. 

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