Delighting in Our Cross, not Grudging (a matter of His life in us)

[Vine Abider]

I was taken with this passage below from a late 19th century writer.  I think it's true that often we think of applying the cross in our life as something of an onerous and draining duty. But the writer points out that doing the will of God should not be this way, and says (in another place) that the Lord says what He gives us is "easy and light."  

I love what she points out here, that in the growth of the Lords life within us, that is, our maturing in His life, we will automatically want to do certain things we didn't want to do before, and automatically stop doing other things that previously our more immature selves would always delight in doing.  So once again this shows that it's not about our efforts, so much, but more about letting His life grow and operate in us . . . His life in us will get it done!

(And, I will add, in another place the author reasons thusly:  the cross means death and in death there are no feelings. So if we think applying the cross means struggling to do something, we have not come to its final result and reality - namely death of that "worthless" thing of the old man. Concisely stated: "To crucify means to put to death, not to keep alive in misery." And the death of the cross only happens that we may experience His resurrection life.)

(please forgive the below formatting, as this is how my OCR copied this from the book)

DELIGHTING, NOT GRUDGING

If our affections are set on the will of God, we must love His will.

It is impossible that God's will should seem hard to a person whose

affections are set on it It may be accompanied with hard things, but
in itself it must be a delight Our Lord could say with the psalmist
David, "I delight to do thy will, 0 my God" (Ps. 40:8), because He was
dead to everything that was contrary to His Father's will. Until our
affections are Similarly so set on the will of God as to delight in it, we
have not "taken up the cross" (Matt. 16:24) in the Scripture sense at
all.

A good illustration of what I mean would be the change that
takes place in the feelings of a little girl when she becomes a woman.
As a child she loves to climb trees and make mud pies; she hates to
sit still and sew or learn long lessons or do hard work. But when the
little girl becomes a woman, her feelings are reversed; she loves the
things she once hated, and hates the things she once loved. The
woman "takes up the cross" to her childish play; that is, she becomes
dead to it and no longer finds any pleasure in it She delights in the
pursuits of maturity and leaves behind the pursuits of childhood, just
as once she delighted in the pursuits of childhood and dreaded those
of maturity.

There are a great many Christians who look at the Christian life
as I in my childish ignorance looked at adult life; they think religion
means to give up the things they love and to do the things they hate.
They call this "taking up the cross" and actually think God enjoys
their grudging service. 

(from "Every Day Religion" by Hannah W. Smith)

[D. Adrien]

James 4: 7-10 (ESV)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Lay it all at His feet and allow Him to wash it all off of you, as in the foot washing after the last supper, when He washed the body parts of the disciples that came into contact with this world. Pray and step out on faith and he will uphold you in your endeavors. Just take that first step towards the light.

[Mr. M]

5 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

DELIGHTING, NOT GRUDGING

2 Corinthians 9:

6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,

and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 

7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, 

not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you,

that you always having all sufficiency in all things, 

may have an abundance for every good work.

[D. Adrien]

11 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

I was taken with this passage below from a late 19th century writer.  I think it's true that often we think of applying the cross in our life as something of an onerous and draining duty. But the writer points out that doing the will of God should not be this way, and says (in another place) that the Lord says what He gives us is "easy and light."  

Speaking for myself, I've learned to a degree, to live in the moment. I find this helps in slowing down the mind and being able to focus on the present moment in time. For me a great deal of pressure is eliminated in the moment of being. A modified mat. 6:34, instead of worrying about tomorrow I apply it to the next moment. This can be helpful in breaking addiction(s).

 

Mat.6:34

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Modified Mat. 6:34

Therefore do not be anxious about the next moment, for the next moment will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the next moment is its own trouble.

 

Edit; In times of severe stress a person needs to slow time down to be able to deal with all the emotions and mental pressures and I have found this helps. Prayer, biblical fasting and a strong abiding faith in God is the foundation.

Edited March 17 by D. Adrien
A bit more.

[Neighbor]

4 hours ago, D. Adrien said:

Speaking for myself, I've learned to a degree, to live in the moment. I find this helps in slowing down the mind and being able to focus on the present moment in time. For me a great deal of pressure is eliminated in the moment of being. A modified mat. 6:34, instead of worrying about tomorrow I apply it to the next moment. This can be helpful in breaking addiction(s).

 

Mat.6:34

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Modified Mat. 6:34

Therefore do not be anxious about the next moment, for the next moment will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the next moment is its own trouble.

 

Edit; In times of severe stress a person needs to slow time down to be able to deal with all the emotions and mental pressures and I have found this helps. Prayer, biblical fasting and a strong abiding faith in God is the foundation.

Hi, While I  agree that being anxious is of no value, I do think  that "playing chess" one move at a time is a losing  proposition too!

To play at the game of life without planning ahead is to lose the game from the get go. Planning also defeats worrying.

[Neighbor]

Just now, Neighbor said:

Hi, While I  agree that being anxious is of no value, I do think  that "playing chess" one move at a time is a losing  proposition too!

To play at the game of life without planning ahead is to lose the game from the get go. Planning also defeats worrying.

To that end armoring  up on the full word of God is vital to  good progress, preparing not only for the moment but every moment to come..

[Neighbor]

Ever watch those whose minds have been "cleared"? They get paraded, actually herded, by their masters as each strives to be abled  to  get the clear-est reading on the "e meter".

[D. Adrien]

Neighbor, I wasn't encouraging not planning ahead. I'm encouraging slowing down and not allowing negative thoughts to cause one to project a permutation of possible horrendous outcomes into the near future and despairing of possible failure from an assault of negativism. 

Christ taught not to be concerned about tomorrow's troubles and I say if that too seems overwhelming, reduce the time segments into minutes or moments - remain in the present moment to deal with the stress.

[Neighbor]

Hi, I kinda think stress along with an adrenalin response is a good thing, speeds the mind up as well as the body when needed most.

I kinda think mellow is not a thing to want to attain as much as is the capacity to outpace the competition, whatever it may be.

Run the race as though to win it and don't look back. 

[Mr. M]

8 hours ago, D. Adrien said:

Speaking for myself, I've learned to a degree, to live in the moment. I find this helps in slowing down the mind and being able to focus on the present moment in time. For me a great deal of pressure is eliminated in the moment of being. A modified mat. 6:34, instead of worrying about tomorrow I apply it to the next moment. This can be helpful in breaking addiction(s).

 

Mat.6:34

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Modified Mat. 6:34

Therefore do not be anxious about the next moment, for the next moment will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the next moment is its own trouble.

 

Edit; In times of severe stress a person needs to slow time down to be able to deal with all the emotions and mental pressures and I have found this helps. Prayer, biblical fasting and a strong abiding faith in God is the foundation.

For the only time we can serve and obey, is Today...

Hebrews 3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice,

harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

 

Do Not Boast About Tomorrow

James 4:

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go

to such and such a city,

spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 

14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for

a little time and then vanishes away. 

15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills,

we shall live and do this or that.” 

16 But now you boast in your arrogance. 

All such boasting is evil.