and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of the others---
like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people." Matthew 20:26-28
Fear as my fortress keeps me focused on my needs. Fear reasons that if you hold on to your rights, your interests, your desires, even your needs.... you can protect yourself, protect your destiny....but fear is also a deciever. Fear is never a fortress.
That is the role our great Shepherd desires: He is the good Shepherd. He wants to pour His blessing on us and keep us safe. So much so that He is willing to give up His very life that I may find shelter in the bosom of my Father! "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2 He is MY Shepherd....and I shall not want ANYTHING! Everything I need is in him. He sees. He knows. I have no need to be concerned for self. Jesus gives to me. He serves me! I am his little lamb and he really, really loves me. He carries me close to his heart.
"You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am.
I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you.
I am telling you the truth: no slaves are greater than their master, and no messengers are greater than the one who sent them. Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!"
John 13 :13-17
"Don't be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others. Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality. Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Phil. 2:4-8
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." Proverbs 11:24,25
I can serve and give extravagantly. I must! There is no other way to abundant life. Whoever trys to keep their life will lose it, but whoever will lay down their life will find it!
I have one mission;
to come and die
and I will be a fragrant burning
Derek Loux (Fragrant Burning)
1 comment:
I have just recently found a brother who on the same journey from fear to love wrote an article titled "the journey to let go" from which I post a quote:
"What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not to be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself!" (Luke 12:29-32)
"When I was preoccupied with getting the things I thought I needed to be a successful believer, I got further and further from it. When I finally gave up trying to get what I wanted from God and started just enjoying what God was bringing into my life, everything changed. I’m no longer frustrated by what God hasn’t yet done in my life, but blessed at every glimpse of mercy he shares with me. The joy of this life cannot be reached by our attempts to grab hold of God or his blessings, because we only end up grabbing those things that make us secure in ourselves. God wants us to find our security in the only place it really counts, in him!
Notice how that trust is deeply rooted in how his Father feels about us. Jesus wanted us to know that he does not withhold his glory or make us earn his favor. We’re his dearest friends! He wants us to experience the fullness of his life, and the best way we do that is to be learning to relax and let go of our need to control our own lives and define security on our own terms. People who fuss, grab and manipulate simply don’t understand how God works. What a statement! I had no idea that my anxieties were the best evidence that I had simply not learned how God works. Because I didn’t trust him to bring into my life all that I needed to walk in him, I had to scheme and labor to try and get it for myself. And even when that doesn’t work, we don’t consider that our approach to God is flawed, only that we’re not working hard enough. So instead of giving up and learning to let go, we have to try even harder. Jesus is inviting a new generation of his followers to learn how to live dependent on the awesome love of his incredible Father."
Awesome isn't it!
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