Dear Rangers
This devotions deals with the constant conflict within us all.
Obituary to My Old Self.
Today I got into a bit of trouble with my Senior Commander. He asked me to examine
my heart
as to why I did it. When I did, I realized that there was still too much of my old
self
battling to
be seen. I need to do what John the Baptist did and said in John 3:30-31 �He must
become
greater; I must become less. "The one who comes from above is above all; the one
who is
from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who
comes
from heaven is above all.� My old self must surrender to the New.
Paul, In 2 Corinthians 5:17 says �Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation;
the old
has gone, the new has come!� In the New English Bible it says �A New World� This
New
World is opposed to the Old World. The Old World seeks to �me� first, it seeks to be
seen
doing things, and it seeks attention. The New World seeks to puts before myself,
prefers to
do things quietly and with little recognition. Old World is full of sin, while new is
filled
with
forgiveness of those sins. I must die to my old self in order that I might have life.
Paul in Romans 6:5-11 says �If we have been united with him like this in his death,
we
will
certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self
was
crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer
be slaves to sin-- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we
died with
Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was
raised
from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death
he died,
he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way,
count
yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.� So, being untied with Jesus
our old
self is crucified with Jesus on the cross, and just as He was resurrected from the
dead
we are
freed from our Old World. Our Old World brought death, but our New World brings life.
A
good example from history is Cortez when he landed on the American continent He
burnt his
ships so his men would be motivated to build a New World in the �New land�. We must
�burn� our sins of our Old World in order to build a New World in Christ Jesus.
It is hard to let go of things that have become second nature to us. It is like a
model
I�m
building now. The making left small �sink holes� on the door flaps that, if left
untreated,
would
be clearly seen. I had put filler into the holes and then sand them smooth. Next came
three
coats of paint. The result is that the holes can not be seen now. The �sink holes� in
our
lives is
our world. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to fill the �holes that sin has caused and
allow Him
to �sand� away the results of those sins. The Holy Spirit gives us a New World for us
to
live
in. The filling and the sanding of our old lives is a painful process, then if we
endure to
the
end then the prize of external life is ours.
Jesus created a New World for us. One that is controlled by His Spirit. We must allow
to
finish the work he has started in us �being confident of this, that he who began a
good
work
in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.� (1Phi :6). So
for us
there is a
New World, the old has gone, so we must live our lives according to the standards of
the New
World and not the old. Jesus will do this if we are willing and He will do more (Eph.
3;20, Now
to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to
his power
that is at work within us,)
Amen
This is the YEAR OF JUBILEE.
LET'S PROCLAIM GOD'S LOVE TO A DYING WORLD
Say to the captives, 'come out,' and those in darkness, 'Be free!'
Isaiah 49:9
I looked to the heavens to where God dwells
I looked into my life to see he lives there as well.
Love in Jesus
Morning Light
Adrian Bonham
Outpost 49
Hawkesbury Royal Rangers
Windsor, N.S.W.
Australia
F.C.F. 94
_______
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Eat the hay & spit out the sticks!" RTKB&G4JC!
Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://rangernet.org
