"After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said: 'May the day of my birth perish....'" (Job 3:1, 2a--NIV)
Please never "do" this attitude. Now most of you will respond, "I never did nor ever will." Also, don't say that. You and I don't know, not only what the future holds, but what we "hold" for the future. I have heard Christians say, "I wish I'd never been born." It is sad.
Suffering brings out the "best" in some and the "worst" in others. There is so much talk today in the modern Christendom media about "sowing and reaping," and it is limited to nothing but money. What a huge disservice to the Body of Christ. To me, there is nothing more necessary in Church teaching than the warning and encouragement of, "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap," before and after we are "saved." The New Birth does not change this life principle. In short, I have observed in my life time that people do not get any "better with age." Yes, we may be, "a new creation," in terms of our salvation, forgiveness of sin, walking in obedience to much of our Lord Jesus Christ's commands, but our fundamental personalities do not seem to change. It is a constant struggle between the "old man, new man." And what I have sown "to" both will inevitably manifest.
Job was declared to be a righteous man, and that by our Living Triune God Himself. But Job was in deep suffering. He could not see that proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel." Even the "best" of us can succumb to a life-devastating self-pity. You will remember that Chambers once said, "Discouragement is another form of self love"; therefore, my friend, never give in to it. Of course those "old nature" things which crop up too many times in our sojourn here can be the source of great discouragement, to our pride mostly. "Gee, I thought I was better than this. I thought I had come farther along in my walk than that." Well, apparently you haven't.
"Are you weary, are you heavy laden, tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus." Draw on His Indwelling Presence. The power to change and manifest that change does not come from spiritual "grunting." It can only come by surrender, a surrender of that self-centered, self-protecting, self-asserting nature to the Nature of Jesus, indeed, Jesus Himself living and reigning within us. Stay full of Jesus and His Words, and we will not stay full of ourselves.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I may regret much about my life, but never my birth. Otherwise, I never would have known You. Amen.
Please never "do" this attitude. Now most of you will respond, "I never did nor ever will." Also, don't say that. You and I don't know, not only what the future holds, but what we "hold" for the future. I have heard Christians say, "I wish I'd never been born." It is sad.
Suffering brings out the "best" in some and the "worst" in others. There is so much talk today in the modern Christendom media about "sowing and reaping," and it is limited to nothing but money. What a huge disservice to the Body of Christ. To me, there is nothing more necessary in Church teaching than the warning and encouragement of, "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap," before and after we are "saved." The New Birth does not change this life principle. In short, I have observed in my life time that people do not get any "better with age." Yes, we may be, "a new creation," in terms of our salvation, forgiveness of sin, walking in obedience to much of our Lord Jesus Christ's commands, but our fundamental personalities do not seem to change. It is a constant struggle between the "old man, new man." And what I have sown "to" both will inevitably manifest.
Job was declared to be a righteous man, and that by our Living Triune God Himself. But Job was in deep suffering. He could not see that proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel." Even the "best" of us can succumb to a life-devastating self-pity. You will remember that Chambers once said, "Discouragement is another form of self love"; therefore, my friend, never give in to it. Of course those "old nature" things which crop up too many times in our sojourn here can be the source of great discouragement, to our pride mostly. "Gee, I thought I was better than this. I thought I had come farther along in my walk than that." Well, apparently you haven't.
"Are you weary, are you heavy laden, tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus." Draw on His Indwelling Presence. The power to change and manifest that change does not come from spiritual "grunting." It can only come by surrender, a surrender of that self-centered, self-protecting, self-asserting nature to the Nature of Jesus, indeed, Jesus Himself living and reigning within us. Stay full of Jesus and His Words, and we will not stay full of ourselves.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I may regret much about my life, but never my birth. Otherwise, I never would have known You. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
