John 3:30 “HE must increase, but I must decrease!”
“Burning OUT Self” — on Purpose!”
“Burnt out” by design
constrained lowest by choice…
proves Self Disciplines’ rigor
and personal Faith.
“How so?” comes the call.
“How does Loss become Gain…
when my strength has been stripped
from this long- broken frame?
“Look up!” HE replies…
“let MY rain drench your soul
until purged and prepared
are you for Next’s assignment!
MY foundation — sure
(on which you shall proceed)
requires such cleansing
and THIS realignment!
So take a deep breath
and be emptied until…
MY summons returns you
— empowered and repurposed.
Whilst waiting then pray
till uplifted MY hand…
when you’ll come forth as gold
and rejoice, “It was worth it!”
As HIServant reminding each broken and despairing soul, “It’s gonna be worth it all!” just as HE PROMISED!!
Whitney
Devotional: Luke 9:23 “And HE said to all, “If anyone would come after ME, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow ME.”
When everything seems AND is going wrong, when every step forwards feels like five or six backwards…it is this “trying of our faith” which I’m first to question.
For instance, “How necessary is this? What gain can I get from all this loss and if not me then who …will benefit?”
Having such limited vision and overall understanding in our flesh, we seem left alone with these frustrating queries.
But it’s all about whole heartedly surrendering to HIM WHO knows AND is in control of all things.
It’s about dying to self instead of trying to keep our favorite percentage of self alive and kicking.
Speaking of “kicking” consider the following.
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. Acts 9:5 (KJV)
The English word “pricks” comes from the root Greek word “kentron”.
Kentron is sometimes also translated as goads. This word has the idea of a “sharp, pointed projection used in stinging.”
The prick or goad was a pointed stick used to urge some stubborn animal to move.
The stick was made of wood or metal (Judges 3:31; 1 Samuel 13:21). Sometimes the animal refused to move and would kick back at the pointed object and stab itself on that goad or prick.
The word “kick” then is translated from the root Greek word “laktizo” which has the basic meaning of “to hurt by resistance” or “to kick.”
Simply put – “to kick against the pricks” implies someone is resisting and in the process is hitting a sharp object.
Wow! A goad was typically a sharp stick or prod used to drive cattle.
In fact, in the ancient Greek and Roman times, the phrase was a well-known expression indicating that someone was opposing a deity.
Soooo! If we put it all together, we discover that GOD told Paul that he was only hurting himself in his effort to eliminate Christians. He was unknowingly opposing GOD.
So when we hang on to Self and our own choices, how often are we unknowingly resisting GOD when HE corrects and trains us?
Now “burning out the dross” is a way of cleansing precious metals.
Viewing Self as precious in HIS sight, so let us willingly purge and “burn out” the dross of Self daily!
Amen? Yes, amen!
2CJC 