Beauty In Our Dying To Self
Today was an incredible fall day, my children went with their uncle and aunt to the pumpkin patch, and Brandy and I were able to stay home alone. We spent the morning hanging out, and talking which has been a blessing. God has been gracious to grow us so close together these past few years,and even more intensely over the past few months. Today the colors on the trees were so vibrant and it was incredible to fathom the hand of the Lord in His creation. Pondering the amazement of God’s creative work as the leaves on the trees were dying, brought to mind a couple of verses in dealing with adversity, difficulty, trial, affliction, and most definitely dying to self.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. – John 12:24
It has to die before it can bring life. This whole process of sanctification is a continual death to self and our life, in God.
Today the autumn leaves reminded me that when we are going through tough times, when we are dying there is beauty in our death to self, death to our flesh. And though for a while there is death, it isn’t until death takes place do we really notice the beauty, and trust in the fruit that will be produced next season. Although everything appears to be dying, and death is taking place, God is always faithful, and we can rest assured that there will be differing seasons until Christ’s return.
Thus how difficult is it to say when we are actually going through the hard times, that we see the beauty in those circumstances? This was God’s design to allow for seasons of life to death and back again. In fact we are most definitely going to have persecution in one form or another if we are truly following Him. In this persecution, with the sovereignty of God, there is a death which demonstrates God’s breath taking beauty. While we in our finite perspective see the gray all around, God shows us the beauty of this self death as we recount the faithfulness of God in our past seasons. He is always faithful to His children.
Paul amazingly shows us in 2 Corinthians as he recounted his persecutions, and then exhorted us to open our hearts! These seasons are not ours for the keeping but they are to point to Christ, just as all of creation points to God. And everything cries out Grace Grace Grace !!!
The words below, though correcting the Corinthians are encouraging. They allows us to get closer to understanding the paradox of life in Christ and death to self.
May God grant us all His perspective in times of affliction, and yet may He receive all the Glory for it!
1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also. –2 Corinthians 6
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