Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Selfishness (02/14/05)
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TITLE: In His words | Previous Challenge Entry
By Perpetual Murray
02/19/05 -
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For this reason, I collect music, and one hymn that just stands the test of time for me is “Amazing love.” Over the years, this song has been done in countless variations, changing both its lyrics and tune.
Though I listen to the different versions of “Amazing love”, the one that continues to minister to me is a sober hymn with the following lyrics: “Amazing love, O what sacrifice, The Son of God given for me; my debt He pays and my death He dies, that I might live.”
As you can tell from these lyrics, I am in constant awe of the Most High that He deemed me worthy to receive His grace.
In my study of His word, I have ventured to survey Christ’s ministry, paying particular attention to His words. And “Dying to self” is a theme that stands out. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
The Lord Jesus – heir of all heirs - left His crown of glory to come to this undeserving world, to be born in a manger, live in conditions that we, as humans would consider only conducive for a wild animal, and to top it all, die a shameful death! “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”(Matt 8:20).
All this, He did to fulfill His Father’s will to give man another chance to enjoy the treasures that He has laid up in heaven for those that love Him. “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4: 43).
Those who have come to true repentance and are walking daily with the Lord will bear me witness when I say that no pleasure this world offers can compare to the rewards given to the righteous. God didn’t need to sell His Kingdom to anyone. He could have chosen to keep His opulent kingdom a secret. Yet He labored to reveal it to the world, even to those who hated Him! Jesus consistently adorned Himself in humility in the face of the Pharisees and the chief priests’ self-centered, egotistic and elitist ways.
In His disappointment at how astray His people had gone, God could have chosen to show His wrath, instead, He sent His Son to preach the good news to all and heal even the heathens themselves! “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5: 45).
God is not satisfied with having a small, exclusive club of believers. His desire is that every man comes to know Him and share in His throne, which He has freely offered us. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9:12).
The Bible says in Matthew 9:36 that Jesus was overcome with compassion when He saw a people “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” He then said to His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”(Matt 9:37).
This is the true picture of our Lord Jesus and God. His mission was to give. His heart was set on winning souls for His Kingdom, hence His parables of the lost sheep, the prodigal son, the lost coin and even the workers in the vineyard.
No wonder the parting words to His disciples as He was taken up before their eyes were: “… and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts1:8).
Selfishness was not Him.
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