Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in Sidetracked In The Wilderness - # 52
Michael’s book is
available through:
Abiding Life Ministries
International
Littleton, Colorado
Notice: this email is part of a BLOG, called Getting Out of the
Wilderness. Why a blog? So that many can receive the weekly thoughts
I express on Michael’s writings in an easy manner.
No
question there is such a lack of knowledge or understanding, and/or practical
use (in our lives) of Jesus’ simple command in Matthew 16:24: “If anyone wishes
to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” Michael gives us his practical instruction on
applying the cross to our lives…
PRACTICAL
APPLICATIONS OF THE CROSS – Part 1
excerpt
from pages 146-152 of SIW (5th printing,
March 1998)
excerpt
from pages 146-152 of SIW (14th printing,
March 2012)
(used with permission from
ALMI):
…The
world, sin, and Satan cry to the believer, “Save yourself. Don’t take the cross!” To the degree we save our own self-lives, to
that degree we spread death to those around us.
But to the measure that we take up the cross, deny ourselves, and allow
the cross to be applied, to that extent we will spread life to those around us.
…How
many Christian marriages suffer from shallow self-protectionism? How many suffer from refusing to die and
keeping lists of every loss suffered at the hands of the other, watching for
every word that might offend or for an encroachment on precious self? After all, “me” is all I have, so I must do
all I can to protect it. Don’t disagree
with me, don’t neglect me, be careful not to offend me, remember to always
treat me with the greatest respect. The
only problem that I really have is that I can’t stand me, either. Am I any the happier for all the effort it
takes? Is there any contentment in
demanding that everyone in the family structure life around me?
…If
you decide to retain 25 percent of your old baggage, idols, residue, and lying
emotions, than that is 25 percent of the Lord that you will never know. And if you decide to keep 5 percent of the
old self, then you will be missing 5 percent of the Lord that you could have
had. The cross of Christ is the great
subtracter, and all who come in contact with it will lose many things. But all loss will be filled with an abundant
measure of His presence.
To
the degree that we allow the cross to apply death, to that same degree the Holy
Spirit will apply life. In light of what
has been said previously, listen to what Paul says: “Always carrying about in
the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in
our body. For we who live are constantly
being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may
be manifested in our mortal flesh. So
death works in us, but life in you” (2 Corinthians 2:10-12). Here is Paul’s secret, he appeals to the
Death/Life cycle.
It
is a staggering thought that “to the degree we save our own self-lives, to that
degree we spread death to those around us.”
I wonder how many Christians around the world have ever given any
thought to that?!?
Perhaps,
coming aware of what that even means is a big break-through. Michael’s book right here gives us a look at
what spreads “death” to others: self-protectionism, keeping lists of every loss
suffered at the hands of the other, watching for every word that might offend,
an encroachment on precious self, etc.
Me, me, me, me…don’t disagree with me, don’t neglect me, be careful not
to offend me. And how strange is it: “The
only problem I really have is that I can’t stand me”? Really???
And,
then Michael gives us that practical instruction or application…of the
cross. (How beautiful it is that LIFE
comes from different aspects of the CROSS!).
“To the degree that we allow the cross to apply death, to that same
degree the Holy Spirit will apply life.”
Hallelujah!
And
at moments like this, the Scripture comes alive…Michael taking us to Paul’s
words in 2 Corinthians 2:10-12. Can’t
you just picture “carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus” a lot
differently than before? And then…”that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body”…hoooooo-boy! And, then it is just flabbergasting: “So
death works in us, BUT LIFE IN YOU.” Well,
glory be!
Do
you SEE the Death/Life cycle?
So,
wait a minute…”to the measure we take up the cross, deny ourselves, and allow
the cross to be applied, to that extent we will spread life to those around us.” Amen!
And
so, I have a choice to make: Do I want to spread “death” or “life” to others?
Note:
if you don’t have one of Michael’s Sidetracked In The Wilderness books,
please contact ALMI
(www.abidinglife.com) and get one today!
To access ALL past weekly
blogs, go to Getting
Out of the Wilderness by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com
NOTICE: another blog…on Michael Wells’ book, My
Weakness For His Strength, called Living Life With a Capital “C”. You can
access by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
leemccm@gmail.com
1737 CR
2051 Nacogdoches, Tx 75965 936-559-5696
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