ezra
Member
- Sep 17, 2012
- 6,179
- 2,624
I have personally not yet discovered a painless way to die to my self nature. I came across this anonymous poem and thought the words captured so well the transforming work that ONLY God can perform in us as we cooperate with him.
“When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;
That is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence;
That is dying to self.
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did;
That is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;
That is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record your own good works or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown;
That is dying to self.;
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances;
That is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart;
That is dying to self (Anonymous)”
Jesus you have demonstrated the ultimate example of what dying to self looks like in a whole and holy way. It was not timid. Your choices were assertive as you lived from a base of love, grace, truth and accountability to your Father. Continue to work in us this balance, in relation to You, ourselves and one another. Thank you that we draw from your Spirit’s strength and resurrection power. We admit we do not have what it takes in and of ourselves. You are awesome and we praise you. Humbly, we thank you for such a price you paid on our behalf, making it possible for us to die to our selves; to experience your strength being made perfect in our weakness, your life through death! Amen.
“When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;
That is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence;
That is dying to self.
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did;
That is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;
That is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record your own good works or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown;
That is dying to self.;
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances;
That is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart;
That is dying to self (Anonymous)”
Jesus you have demonstrated the ultimate example of what dying to self looks like in a whole and holy way. It was not timid. Your choices were assertive as you lived from a base of love, grace, truth and accountability to your Father. Continue to work in us this balance, in relation to You, ourselves and one another. Thank you that we draw from your Spirit’s strength and resurrection power. We admit we do not have what it takes in and of ourselves. You are awesome and we praise you. Humbly, we thank you for such a price you paid on our behalf, making it possible for us to die to our selves; to experience your strength being made perfect in our weakness, your life through death! Amen.
