Title: Life with the Traces of Jesus
Galatians (34) Living with the Traces of Jesus
(Galatians 6:17-18)
1. Let go of pride
Humility is the most important characteristic of a person who bears the mark of Jesus. Therefore, let go of your pride, especially the four prides. First, let go of economic pride. Many possessions never bring happiness. Second, let go of intellectual pride. Don't say you know everything, keep trying. Third, let go of positional pride. Keep your posture and attitude low, even as your status rises. Fourth, let go of spiritual pride. If you fall into an illusion and boast of your spirituality, God will never be pleased.
At one time, in the Korean church, ordination was considered to be weak, so the ancharacter was popular. When you see how you feel as if you need to be beaten and beaten like that for grace to truly come, you realize that the shamanistic image still has a significant impact on the church. It is a mistake to feel grace only if it is hit enough to make people's eyes bruised and bruised. If you look closely at these false phenomena, they are caused by pursuing something special through spiritual pride. Therefore, do not leave any gaps in spiritual pride.
2. Be proud of your cross
What the saints should be most proud of is the sign of the cross. One day, Pastor Spurgeon, a famous preacher, saw a message about the cross and was not impressed. So, I confessed with a sad heart. "God! Why did I lose the thrill of the cross? Please return that feeling. Please return the tears I shed when I was moved by the precious blood of the past.”
If there is no emotion toward the cross and no practice for the life of the cross, it is a proof that the soul is drying up and tomorrow's blessings are disappearing. Because there is nothing more glorious in the life of the saints than the cross. A saint without a cross is not a saint, and a church without a cross is not a church. Without the cross, there is no remission of sins, no peace, no peace, no change, no blessings. A person's greatest failure is a life without a cross.
The biggest reason that life is hard and difficult right now is that the traces of Jesus are fading. However, once the traces become clear, the pain and troubles of life will disappear. Now, like the Apostle Paul, confess, “I have the marks of Jesus (stigma) on my body,” and go forward to bear the cross a little more. If you live with the marks of the cross clearly, when you stand before the Lord later, the Lord will see the traces and give you a great reward.
3. Be truthful
Even in the midst of hardship, be sincere to the end, not boastful, and do not exceed a fraction so that your integrity is not compromised. Adventist founder William Miller was overconfident in his abilities and prophesied of the Second Coming several times. However, those prophecies have failed over and over again. Eventually, after his death in 1849, his tombstone was inscribed: “The end will come at the appointed time.” In hindsight, the single line on the tombstone was far more true than many of the prophecies he had uttered.
Do your best to match your words and actions. While evangelizing fortresses, you often come across people who severely reject the church and its members. If you look closely at their rejection, they do not reject God or Jesus, but usually reject the wrong attitude of the saints. In their view, the attitude of church members is worse than that of ordinary people.
What is the most disappointing attitude among church members today? You have an overly free consciousness. There are quite a few naive Christians who want to get everything else for free because they got salvation and free stuff. Salvation is free, but Jesus' great sacrifice was required to make that free gift. So rather than having a free trial, learn the sacrifice of the Lord and try to pay the price. As a saint, don't be stingy in enjoying free trials and free rides. The church will once again become the hope of the world when there are fewer flashy words and more acts of service to the members.