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God's Formula For Victory |
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"Let me die - lest I die!"
These words, written centuries ago by an
early church writer seem to be a
contradiction or a paradox. The Christian
life has a number of such paradoxes. Here
are some examples:
To win the battle, we
must surrender - "Then said Jesus unto
his disciples, If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will
save his life shall lose it: and whosoever
will lose his life for my sake shall find
it. For what is a man profited, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
or what shall a man give in exchange for his
soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26). |
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To find strength, we must be weak
- To find strength, we must be weak - "And he
said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for
my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore
I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for
Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I
strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). To gain, we
must lose - "But what things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and
I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I may win
Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8).
To live, we must die - "I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
(Galatians 2:20).
To be first, we must be last -
"And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith
unto them, If any man desire to be first, the
same shall be last of all, and servant of all."
(Mark 9:35).
To be exalted, we must be humble
- "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be
abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted." (Matthew 23:12).
To be chief, we must be servant -
"But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever
will be great among you, let him be your minister;
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be
your servant" (Matthew 20:26- 27).
To reign, we must suffer -
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him:
if we deny him, he also will deny us" (2
Timothy 2:12).
These are paradoxes because
the way to gain, victory, and life is seemingly the
exact opposite direction from what one would
normally take to get there. It is baffling to the
natural (unsaved) man. He wants the good, the
benefits, and the rewards, but he refuses the path
that leads there. It is too hard and undesirable. He
wants to win, but he refuses to surrender. He wants
to be strong, but he will not admit weakness. He
wants to gain, but he will not give up what
he has. He wants to live, but he does not want to
die. He wants to be exalted, but he resents being
humbled. He wants to be chief, but he refuses to
serve. He wants to reign, but he loathes suffering.
The Christian, on the other
hand, is absorbed in surrendering, losing, dying,
serving, and suffering. He does not view it as a
necessary temporary evil that must be endured before
he can be exalted and be chief. He rather sees it as
a way of life, a way by which he stays in the shadow
so Christ can be seen. He wants to be weak and
humble so Christ can be magnified. He wants to die
so Christ can live in him. He wants to be last so
Christ is first. And when the exaltation comes, it
is all a gift of the grace of God. There is no
consciousness of having earned it.
Our commitment can be tested
by how willing we are to face and experience the
negative side of these paradoxes. The positive side
is God's work. He will do His part fully and freely
in His time. Until then, let us continue to die,
lest we die. Let us lose, lest we lose. Then will we
find strength in our present weakness and will be
rewarded with life and exaltation that is all of
grace.
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