The Crucifixion of the Soul
All who would be strong in the Lord, all who would do much for the Lord, will of priority, first seek to be much with their Lord.
All must pass through their personal Gethsemane, for there is no resurrection if there is not first self-death.
Bowed low in another Gethsemane the body and soul pleads for release with tears devoid of peace and splashed with blood - but still their human spirit echoes the Lord's cry to Heaven:
Your will not mine be done.
Finally any aspirations of the human heart are jettisoned to a painful and much higher interest. Nobility is gained, but will not be recognised or rewarded below the heavens. Honor is stolen, and there is no fighting back.
As the heart is formed by Gethsemane, sacrifice is gained.
The soul that is lost on this earth to any personal interest is the soul that has received heaven and its honor. For surely there is no greater virtue than sacrifice without honor?
You do not enter paradise tomorrow or ten years from tomorrow; you enter paradise today, when you are poor and crucified. (Leon Bloy)
Such is the person that has given much to their Lord, that they are then equipped to do much for Him.
Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24)
Crucifixion is simply the decision to choose as Jesus chose, and live as Jesus as lived. Jesus knew, lived or taught no grey discipleship. His spiritual resilience was perfected in Gethsemane, for without Gethsemane there is no Golgotha.
There are no reduced rates for the revolution of the soul. (Leonard Ravenhill)
Today's Soul Snippet:
'Repentance is the tear in the eye of faith.' ~ D.L. Moody
ENJOY too in this short series - Introducing 5 Friends of Spiritual Resilience, The Shelter of Humility, The Seeking of God's Face, The Thirsting of the Soul & The Guarding of the Heart
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