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Empty Me, Lord, That I May Be Filled!
"God can only
fills valleys, not mountains." - Roy
Hession
Mark 10:43 says -
"But so shall it not be among you:
but whosoever will be great among you, shall be
your minister."
The Bible teaches the basic principle that
gain is obtained through loss.
Many examples prove this fact.
Matthew 19:21 - The Lord Jesus
told the rich young ruler to sell what he had,
give to the poor, and he would have treasure in
heaven.
Matthew 19:29 - He told His
disciples who had forsaken houses, brethren,
sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or
lands for His name's sake that they would
receive a hundredfold.
Mark 8:35 - He told His
disciples that whoever loses his life for the
Gospel's sake, saves it.
Mark 9:35 - He said that anyone
who desires to be first must be last and the
servant of all.
John 12:24 - The corn of wheat
must die in order to bring forth fruit.
Philippians 3:8 - Paul suffered
the loss of all things to win Christ.
How paradoxical Jesus'
teaching is especially to us in the Western
world!
In order to
get riches, we have to give.
In order to
receive a hundredfold return, we have to forsake
all.
In order to
save our life, we have to lose it.
In order to
lose our life, we have to save it.
In order to be
first, we must be last.
A corn of
wheat must die before it produces fruit.
In order to
win Christ, we have to lose everything.
Let's take one principle by itself and examine
it further.
The World would tell us that in order to gain
wealth, we must hoard our riches.
Save, Save, Save, Save!!!
Look out for #1 - Me!!! If you
do, you will have it made. Yet the kingdom of
God operates by a totally different mind set.
Self is not considered. The way to true riches
is to give all.
Is it any
wonder that the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:14
spoke of being crucified unto the World? The
World functions on an entirely different system
of reasoning to that of the Kingdom of God.
The contrast between Biblical principles and the
world's thinking is also witnessed in the
statements of many of God's servants. The
following lists their quotes -
John Flavel - "When
God intends to fill a soul, He first makes it
empty. When He intends to enrich a soul, He
first makes it poor. When He intends to exalt a
soul, He first makes it sensible to its own
miseries, wants, and nothingness."
Thomas Manton - "The
way to rise is to fall."
C. H. Spurgeon - "The
more we are humbled in grace, the more we shall
be exalted in glory."
Martin Luther - "Until a man is nothing, God can make nothing of him."
Richard Halverson -
"The greatest
men are those who are humble before God. The
tallest men are those who bend before God."
A. B. Bruce - "Show when you are tempted to hide, and hide when you are tempted to show." Henry G. Bohn - "He who knows himself best esteems himself least." Edward Reynolds - "The fullest and best ears of corn hang lowest towards the ground." Thomas Guthrie - "The Christian is like the ripening corn; the riper he grows, the more lowly bends his head." Anonymous - "The easiest way to dignity is humility."
We can see from these statements
the same principle that Gain is obtained through
Loss.
Humility precedes Honor.
We must be emptied before we can
be filled.
In order to be enriched, we must
become poor.
In order to rise, we must fall.
The World preaches that the way to be great is
to exalt ourselves. The Lord Jesus came to show
us a better way. His way declares that the way
to be great is to be the minister or servant of
all.
Psalm 18:30
sums it up, in saying - "As
for God, His way is perfect..."
May God Bless His Word.
Connie
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