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What Do We Have ToLose?We all like to think we are smart, do we
not? A very pleasant thought, indeed But when we
ridicule others and/or indulge ourselves in feelings of
superiorityfar from being intelligentwe
are usually just being egotistical. Likewise, when we cling
tenaciously to a certain set ofopinions or beliefsunwilling to
expose them to the light of reason and easily offended when
they are called into questionare we not carnal?
On the other hand, the Spirit of light and lifethe light of
Reasonin the broadest sense of the
Wordis that which joins us all together (cf. Gk logosin John
1:1). As such, there would seem
to be no good reason to be defensiveno real need to be overly
protective of our beliefs oropinions; and no call whatsoever to
ridicule others who have shown themselves willing to expose
their beliefs and opinions to the light of reason in the spirit
of free and open inquiry.
Indeed, those who are inordinately attached to their
beliefsthose who feel threatened by free
and open inquiryshould bear in mind that, in the gospels, Jesus
is not out to promote religiousdoctrines or beliefs,per se. Rather
he is inviting us to take up our cross and to follow Him; to
enter into His lifethe new, abundant life of the Kingdom which
is always at hand; within us;among us(cf. Luke 9:23; Matthew
16:24-25; Matthew 3:2; Luke 17:20-21).
To be sure, believing in Himhearing and obeying his Wordvery
quickly turned intoaccepting a creed and following various moral
and religious precepts (often in legalistic fashion),
but this does not reflect the Spirit and the Truthin which (and
of which) Jesus actually teaches
(cf. John 4:23-24; John 6:63).
When Jesus asks us to take up our cross, he is asking us to die
before we dieto be willing to
die. In part, this means that we must come to terms with the
physical suffering and death whichis our destiny, one an all. But
it also means to leave the past behind and to place our future
in
Gods hands. It means to die to our particular points of view; to
die, perhaps, to that in which
we are personally investedthat to which we are personally
attached (cf. Luke 14:26-27;Matthew 10:37-39). And it is well
documented that this sometimes means we must reconsider
our most cherished beliefs and be willing to forgo many of our
personal preferences (cf. Acts
10:9-15). The Apostle Paul testifies to this as follows:
Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss
because of Christ. More than that, I
regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord(Philippians 3:7-8).
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who
live, but it is Christ who lives in
me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gavehimself for me (Galatians
2:19-20).
In addition to taking up our cross, we are ask to believe in
Christ and to follow him. To
believe in himto authenticallylive by faithis to trust inand
rely on his living presence in our
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8/13/2019 What Do We Have to Lose?
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life; to keep our ears attuned to the Divine logoswhich never
ceases to proclaim the good news
of the kingdom, here and now. It is to know the One whoIS
always the sameyesterday, today, and forever (cf. Exodus3:14;
John 8:58; Hebrews 13:8). It is
to recognize the still small voice that originates in the aware
presenceand alert stillnessthat we
areto follow the Way, the Truth, and the LifethatI Am
. This is Christ-in-you, the hope ofglory; the living Word of
God. This is the light of the Worldapart from which, there would
be
no world, no truth, and no life:
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing
made that was made. In him
was life; and the life was the light of men (John 1:3-4 KJ
2000).
[He] was the true Light, that lights every man that comes into
the world. He was in the world,
and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He
came unto his own, and his
own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become thechildren of God, even to them that believe on
his name: Who were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John
1:9-13 KJ 2000).
To receive Himto hear and obey this Wordis tolean into the
stillness of this moment;it isto
walk in the light as He is in the light; and it is to have
eternal life(cf. Matthew 6:25-31; I John
1:7; John 3:34-36).
Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes
him who sent me has eternal life,
and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to
life (John 5:24).
Recognizing and walking in this light, what, indeed, do we
really have fear? Hearing and
obeying his Word, what, in fact, do we really have to lose?
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for
fear has to do with punishment, and
whoever fears has not reached perfection in love (I John
4:18).
But we have the mind of Christ (I Corininthians 2:16).
We have the mind of Christand THISis the Way, the Truth, and the
Lifeto which we are called
the Waywhich is with us always, here and now(cf. John 14:6;
Mathew 1:23, 28:20).
> The I Am Presence within us IS the LivingChrist
Copyright 2012 ~ Yeshua21.Com
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