I am a debtor both to Greeks
and to barbarians… —Romans 1:14
“Every tiny bit of my life
that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. […] I am not a superior
person among other people— I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. Paul said,
“…you are not your own…you were bought at a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ and he said, in effect, “I am a debtor to
everyone on the face of the earth because of the gospel of Jesus; I am free
only that I may be an absolute bondservant of His.” That is the characteristic
of a Christian’s life once this level of spiritual honor and duty becomes real.
Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the
bondservant of Jesus. That is the true meaning of being broken bread and
poured-out wine in real life.” CHAMBERS
What a strange life we have
been reborn into. We are to care nothing
for ourselves and instead devote ourselves to God and others (Matthew 22:37-39). That is clearly not our natural inclination
but it is our super-natural privilege and purpose. There is nothing more difficult, nor amazing
to the world, than denying yourself in
the face of personal need. Fear and
doubt drive us to the natural side and then we worry about and plot ways that we can
be satisfied, sustained, secure; and once we are taken care of, perhaps then we can think about other
people. Listen, you will never be care-free, but you can be free of care. Many people have marveled at what Martie and
I “gave up personally”, but what was the true marvel was that God supplied our
need. People tend to focus on what is
lost and not what is gained through obedience. CHARLEY
(Philippians 3: 7-14) “But whatever were gains to me I now consider
loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider
them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through
faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power
of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in
his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not
that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider
myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is
behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Pressing On – Bob Dylan (sung by Alecia Keyes)
Well, I'm pressing on Pressing
on
Well, I'm pressing on To the
higher calling of my Lord
Many try to stop me, shake me
up in my mind Say, "Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign"
What kind of sign they need
when it all come from within
When what's lost has been
found, what's to come has already been?
Well, I'm pressing on On and on and on and on
Pressing on, oh yes, I am Pressing on
To the higher calling of my
Lord
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