From Darkness to Light --Ryann C.H.: Growing Up Into Christ

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Growing Up Into Christ

__--Part of a chapter from the book Steps to Christ--__

Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee." This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.

A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there should be an abiding, peaceful trust. Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ. Your weakness is united to His strength, your ignorance to His wisdom, your frailty to His enduring might. So you are not to look to yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ. Let the mind dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection, of His character. Christ in His self-denial, Christ in His humiliation, Christ in His purity and holiness, Christ in His matchless love – this is the subject for the soul’s contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are to be transformed into His likeness.

Jesus says, "Abide in me." These words convey the idea of rest, stability, confidence. Again He invites, "Come unto me…and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. The words of the psalmist express the same thought: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Psalms 37:7. And Isaiah gives the assurance, "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15. This rest is not found in inactivity; for in the Saviour’s invitation the promise of rest is united with the call to labor: "Take My yoke upon you…and ye shall find rest." Matthew 11:29. The heart that rests most fully in Christ will be most earnest and active in labor for Him.

When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan’s constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the Saviour and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ. The pleasures of the world, life’s cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults and imperfections – to any or all of these he will seek to divert the mind. Do not be misled by his devices. Many who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for God, he too often leads to dwell upon their faults and weaknesses, and thus by separating them from Christ he hopes to gain the victory. We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved. All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength. Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt; dismiss your fears. Say with the apostle Paul, "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. Rest in God. He is able to keep that you have committed unto Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you.

When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to Himself by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the choice of man himself. Satan will constantly present allurements to induce us to break this tie – to choose to separate ourselves from Christ. Here is where we need to watch, to strive, to pray, that nothing may induce us to choose another master; for we are always free to do this. But let us keep our eyes fixed on Christ, and He will preserve us. Looking unto Jesus, we are safe. Nothing can pluck us out of His hand. In constantly beholding Him, we "are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

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-Stand on the Rock-

People, along with our natural degraded tendencies(outright wrong, or more *seemingly* innocent, or at least okay) may strive for the mastery, to bring us into the water. They may say, "Come on, the water's fine. It'll be fun! Everyone else is having a good time..." The Bible says, somewhere in Isaiah, I think, that people will call evil good, and good evil. So, we can, and WILL call anything good that we want to, but the only way to really live a truly GOOD life, is through Jesus. Only He is truly good. His example is the one that is worth following. If we are not standing on the Rock, then no matter how religoius we are, we are swimming in our own waters, kindling OUR OWN flames. If we are not on the Rock, then we WILL inevitably go along with the current, and get lost and wet and miserable in the storm, and will look back and say, "Why, why did I not stand on the Rock away from the waters? I guess it wasn't exciting...it wasn't popular...wasn't fitting in with my own desires and plans..." But that DOES NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN. Jesus says, "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven...Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." Matthew 7:20,24-25. We need to sell ALL that we have to buy that field. And the treasure in that field is eternal treasure. Jesus says to you and me, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth...But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me." Matt.6:19-21, and 19:21.

For Your Sake

Beginning:

After all You’ve done for me, Lord, how could I still be so vile?
Even though You knew I would fall, You still blessed me all the while.
Lord, You are so patient and forgiving, not only that, but You will help me
To overcome my faults and sins. Lord, You will give me victory.

Verse 1:
You could let me die in lostness, You could let me get what I deserve,
But Your mercy, love and goodness is above what I can learn.

CHORUS:
O my Jesus, not for my sake. Lord I don’t deserve Your love,
But I ask it, Lord, for Your sake whose lot for me was rough.

Verse 2:
When I don’t know where I’m going, and I don’t know what to do next,
I must come to You, Lord Jesus, and You will give me rest.

Verse 3:
Instead of asking for what I want, Lord, I pray Your will be done.
Take it all, Lord, into Your hands. May the victory be won.

Verse 4:
Lord, I don’t need any blessings, just that You be glorified.
Yet You pour showers upon me, and for good You use the hard times.

Verse 5:
Make my motives and desires always be pleasing in Your sight.
O Lord, may You be honored. Make me always do what’s right.

Verse 6:
O Lord, please make me a blessing to all those I know and meet,
May I help them come to You, Lord, and cast their burdens at Your feet.

Verse 7:
Lord, I know You don’t need me, but Lord, I need Your grace.
O Lord Jesus, please receive me, give me strength to run this race.

ENDING:
It’s You who is so good, so tender, loving and kind.
Help me do what I should, for Your sake, not for mine. For Your sake and only Thine...

You Empower Me

Verse 1:
When You empowered me to have for You a desire, I knew You were all
You said You’d be, deep down in my heart, You kindled a fire.

CHORUS:
O Lord, You empower me to do what You want me to do.
Lord, You are all in all to me, You set me free, and You will carry me through
Till I am with You eternally.

Verse 2:
When You empowered me to give up all my bad habits, some of Your truth
I could somewhat see, but now by Your grace, I delight in Your Sabbath.

Verse 3:
When You empowered me to begin to really know You, through the eyes of faith,
I began to see: Through thick and thin, You’d get me through.

Verse 4:
When You empowered me to lay my sins on the altar, a child of God
You led me to be. As You hold my hand, my steps shall not falter.

Verse 5:
When You empowered me to hear what You had to say, I listened and knew
That You would be, the Light in my life to shine everyday...

Choose to Stand

Verse 1:
If you’re sinking in the mire, and you think you’re lost,
What does the Lord require? O what is the cost?
There’s something you must do, but not on your own.
It is through the Lord Jesus, by His grace alone
That you can be saved, and from sin be released,
And God will give you real, true peace.

Verse 2:
If you’re just so tired of trying to get through on your own,
You are on yourself relying; you can not walk alone.
Just let Jesus lead you everyday.
He will teach you what to do and what to say.
He will soften your heart, and renew your mind.
Through Him true happiness you will find.

Verse 3:
If you think you can’t go higher, and there’s just no hope,
Just in faith look up to Jesus, and hold tight to His rope.
Through faith you can keep journeying on;
In the strength of Jehovah you will be made strong.
In temptation and trial, just pray to the Lord.
Put forth effort and take Jesus’ sword.

Verse 4:
If you have that deep desire, but you just don’t have rest,
And you want the Spirit’s fire, that you may pass the test
Through faith, you can surrender to Him.
Wearing all of God’s armor, the battle you’ll win.
As you fight in this war, Jesus stands by your side;
Choose to stand in the power of His might.