The Crucified Life

[stunnedbygrace]

Well, at least now I understand why you have a problem with any talk of needing to abide/remain in Him.

You have half the truth. You like His gracious words. But at the first words that don't sound gracious to your ears you want to push Him off a cliff. You cover your ears and remain insistent that you won't hear any of His words about remaining or abiding or growing in trust.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

But it's not just that Christ is in us, the Bible teaches that anyone who is In Christ is a new creation. If you sin, you are no longer in Christ, what then? Not in Christ, how are you a new creation?

I'm not trying to be nitpicky. I'm being serious.

Yes, well new creations (babies) soil themselves a lot, for many years. Do the parents disown them for this? Do the parents say, eew, I don't want this new creation?

 

[marks]

We've already discussed this. He is faithful even when we are unfaithful. And He is patient.

You want to believe you are always remaining in trust and that you have no mistrust. You testify that remaining in trust in Him is quite easy and not a struggle. Your testimony is not the testimony of any man who God has tested as metal to remove his slag. This is why I said you will not understand yet.

I'm sorry, I must be doing a terrible job of communicating!

I've never said that I always trust and never doubt. I've never said this is easy.

What I'm saying is that we can't but He can in us, and that we can right now.

The spirit lusts against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit, so you cannot do the things you want.

I like the NLT version on this one, "and your choices are never free from this conflict."

Much love!

 

[marks]

Sorry if my posts are all over the place! I'm having a difficulty following this thread as its running 2 pages ahead of me!

 

[marks]

In fact, if we read about Israel in the desert, we see that we make the same mistakes as they did! We worry over temporal provision, fearing how the next check will meet all of our bills. We make it about how much money we have saved rather than trusting the God who can make a pair of shoes last for 40 years.

We've got this bad habit of looking to the provision for our reassurance instead of looking to the Provider.

 

[marks]

And THEN, if we get to a firm and unwavering place regarding an earthly thing like temporal provision, finally remaining in trust even though we have only gathered enough for the day, each day, He lets us become very thirsty (seems to disappear), just as it says He let them become very thirsty in the desert...to see what they would do. And we follow them in this too. We don't keep trusting but instead begin to worry, this time for our spiritual provision!

Isn't that the case!

 

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And so we are like Israel. We think, man oh man, what idiots! If I had seen the wall of water stand up and seen Him save me, I would NEVER then become untrusting or fearful as they did! I would ALWAYS do what He said and trust Him!

And yet...

Well, saying always . . . I don't know about that . . . but let's just say I've become convinced of God's love for me, His ability to care for me, and the inscrutability of His ways.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Just in case anyone wonders where I am, it took me 12 years to get to an unwavering trust regarding earthly things. I am finally there. Being harassed daily to stop trusting and begin fussing and worrying again, but so far, my forehead is really hard on this now.

I now look forward to Him telling me about heavenly things, since I have finally believed and trusted Him about earthly things without wavering all over the place.

How about that you are a spirit child of God, sharing in your Father's nature, never to be undone.

Much love!

 

[marks]

This may sound silly but...I had a pretty bad week at the shop last week. First bad week in a while. I sold very little. I went out front to have a cigarette and I started to be harassed again. As I was putting out my cigarette, I accidentally spoke out loud. I muttered, oh just shut up, He knows what I need. Then from behind me, I heard a voice say, excuse me...?? A woman walking by thought I told her to shut up. Hahaha!

That's good! I've had that happen.

Actually I've had to let go any notion of guarding my dignity, if you will. I can get weepy at the drop of a hat. I often talk to God out loud, and I'm not always paying attention to who is around me.

And I've done that very same thing, telling my flesh to shut up, to here, "What?"

"Um . . ." No good answer to that!

Much love!

 

[marks]

It is not boasting to discuss the way, to discuss our walk, to discuss our trials, to discuss how God teaches and leads us.

I just don't want the focus on me.

Paul felt the same way.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Well, at least now I understand why you have a problem with any talk of needing to abide/remain in Him.

You have half the truth. You like His gracious words. But at the first words that don't sound gracious to your ears you want to push Him off a cliff. You cover your ears and remain insistent that you won't hear any of His words about remaining or abiding or growing in trust.

Is this to me?

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Is that so? Then I'd be looking at how we hold the Scripture in our lives.

This is not my attitude, and you do not realize that because I have not shared with you the trials God has appointed to my life, and how I have learned as matter of survival to hang on God's every word, whether in His Book or in my heart. But telling you my history will mean nothing to doctrine.

I think saying something like this is another way to diminish what I'm saying, in claiming, Oh, he's just interpreting accord to what he knows . . . and then I can be dismissed.

Perhaps I routines conform what I know to what I find in Scripture? Might that be possible?

Isn't that exactly what the Holy Spirit is doing in me?

Much love!

it's the attitude of every one of us at some point. We get right cocky in the beginning of our walk.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Is this to me?

Yes.

 

[marks]

Yes.

 

[marks]

Well, at least now I understand why you have a problem with any talk of needing to abide/remain in Him.

You have half the truth. You like His gracious words. But at the first words that don't sound gracious to your ears you want to push Him off a cliff. You cover your ears and remain insistent that you won't hear any of His words about remaining or abiding or growing in trust.

Hi stunnedbygrace,

I've been very much enjoying our conversation right up to this.

You don't know me yet you've judged me.

I really don't like to defend myself, it just doesn't interest me.

Much love!
mark

 

[stunnedbygrace]

I just don't want the focus on me.

Paul felt the same way.

Much love!

Oh come now. We were discussing something. You came in and said of that very something that as for you, you had not been sufficiently provoked to boasting. None of us were focusing on ourselves. We were focusing on and discussing God, the way, His dealings and leadingss with us. There wasn't a single person in here boasting in themselves. We were being very free with each other and sharing and talking. But false humility always sees plain humility as false humility!

 

[stunnedbygrace]

I'm sorry mark, but I've tried to be as gentle as I can. I even told you you wouldn't be able to understand yet what we were discussing. But you insisted on it. I am NOT trying to dismiss you.

 

[marks]

I'm sorry mark, but I've tried to be as gentle as I can. I even told you you wouldn't be able to understand yet what we were discussing. But you insisted on it. I am NOT trying to dismiss you.

Interesting view that I don't understand. And an interesting view on both what my complaint is, and what gentleness is.

Well, at least now I understand why you have a problem with any talk of needing to abide/remain in Him.

You have half the truth. You like His gracious words. But at the first words that don't sound gracious to your ears you want to push Him off a cliff. You cover your ears and remain insistent that you won't hear any of His words about remaining or abiding or growing in trust.

In this you've expressed that I have a problem with talking about our need to abide in Jesus. I don't have problem with that, and now I have to defend myself instead of talking about abiding in Christ. I'm here to talk about that.

You've expressed that I "push Him off a cliff" at the first words that don't sound gracious to me. I cover my ears, I insist . . .

This to you is gentleness? You really don't know me.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Oh come now. We were discussing something. You came in and said of that very something that as for you, you had not been sufficiently provoked to boasting. None of us were focusing on ourselves. We were focusing on and discussing God, the way, His dealings and leadingss with us. There wasn't a single person in here boasting in themselves. We were being very free with each other and sharing and talking. But false humility always sees plain humility as false humility!

Is a person struggling with how much to share of their life false humility?

And yes, there are a number of people here who like to make boasts in themselves, and I'm very reluctant to join that number.

 

[marks]

it's the attitude of every one of us at some point. We get right cocky in the beginning of our walk.

This can be projection, thinking that what is true for you must be true for everyone.

While we share the same issues, not everything in all lives is identical.

Just the same, speaking about now, since now is when this was applied . . . I think we can see who has the greatest respect for the Word by how they speak of it and treat it in our discussions. Some want to claim divine authority over the Scripture, others want to pin down exactly what it is teaching us.

Much love!