When you are forgotten,or neglected,or being counted worthy to suffer for Christ.purposely set at naught,and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight,but your heart is happy,being counted worthy to suffer for Christ...
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When your good is evil spoken of,when your wishes are crossed,when your advice disregarded, your Opinions redeculed and you refuce to let anger rise in your heart,or even defend yourself,but take it all in patient loving silence...
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder,an irregularity,any impunctuality, or any annoyance;when you stand face-to-face with waste,folly,extravagance,spiritual insensibility and endure it as Jesus endured...
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When you are content with any food,any offering,any climate,any society,and raiment, any interruption by the will of God....
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation,or to record your own good words, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be_unknown...
THAT IS DYING
TO SELF.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances...
THAT IS DYING
TO SELF.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly,finding no rebelîon or resentment rising up within your heart....
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
Are you dead yet? In these last days,the spirit would bring us to the cross,"That i may know him... Being made conformable unto his death"(phil. 3:10)THIS SEEMS "IDEA"-BUT AN IDEAL WELL STATED. I really wonder whether even a few have achieved the ideal completely and consistently;but we should all strive for it and measure ourselves by it. I am sure it is impossible and unattainable to the "human",but i believe it can be wrought by the Holy Spirit as we yield to him and trust Him. Rm.6:6.."....reckon.... yourselves to be dead...."2cor.1:9-"....the sentence (answer)of death in ourselves...."2cor.12:10- "....i take pleasure in infirmities,in reproaches,in necessities,in persecutions,in distresses for christ's sake..."Gal.2:20-"i am crucified with christ...."they what are christ have crusified the flesh..."Gal.6:14-,philip.3:10-.Much as we would like to bury "SELF"in an unmarked grave,it seems expedient to mark the spot and stand guard with hatchet in hand....or better, with the cross,the blood,and the book!!!!
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