For the sake of the gospel we must be willing to deny self whatever the cost. (Google image, Seeking-god-feel-lost).
Jesus spoke clearly,
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than
me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and
anyone who does not take his cross and follow me
is not worthy of me" (Matt. 10 :37-38).
What does it mean to follow Jesus? Not only does it include forsaking our sin and receiving Christ as Savior, it also includes making Christ our Lord and following Him in costly discipleship.
Jesus searched for the lost, often having no place to lay His head (Matt. 8:20). Jesus searched even at the cost of precious family ties (Matt. 12:48-49). Following Jesus in evangelism often involves such supreme devotion to Christ that it costs us precious times of family fellowship (Luke 14:26-27). It involves a cross.
Sacrificially following Jesus with agape love as we seek the lost involves a price for us today. John Henry Jowett in his book The Passion for Souls pleads,
"My brethren, are we in this succession? Does the cry
of the world's need pierce the heart, and ring even
through the fabric of our dreams? Do we 'fill up' our
Lord's suffering with our own suffering, or are we the
unsympathetic ministers of a mighty passion?"
Jewett also said,
"To be . . . in the sacrificial succession, our sympathy
must be a passion, our intercession must by a groaning,
our beneficence must be a sacrifice, and our service
must be a martyrdom."
Christlike identification with persons in need takes upon itself their heartbreak and their woes. We feel the chains of sin which bind them. We feel the pangs of broken vows, the bitter heart cries of both those sinning and those sinned against.
We cringe at the hatred spawned from hell. We struggle against the evil tyrants that bind these poor lives. We wrestle with satanic powers of darkness that enslave them. We seek to snatch them from the fire kindling upon them (Jude 23).
Soul-winning involves spiritual battles. Battles with Satan are often not quickly won and are not easily won. Love gets wounded, love suffers scars, but seeking, sacrificing love does not give up because the seeking Spirit of God does not give up.
Even though the cost involves laying down one's life as a living sacrifice, love seeks on. Even though it shortens life or involves a martyr's death, love seeks on.
Love, as Paul admits, often not only spends what it has but expends itself as well (2 Cor. 12:15). Love always carries the cross in its heart. Seeking love has the character of Calvary.
Paul was not ashamed to bear on his body the marks of Jesus (Gal. 6:17). Heaven is filled with battle-scarred veterans of God's holy war of love. Jesus will glory in showing us His nail-scarred hands in heaven, even as He did on resurrection Sunday (John 20 :20).
Amy Carmichael, one of India's living missionary martyrs of some years ago, wrote a searching poem called "No Scar?" in which she asked you and me if we bear a scar from wounds suffered in sacrificially serving Christ. Her closing words to us are
"Can he have followed far
Who has nor wound nor scar?"
The secret of soul-winning ministry is love. Love that yearns, love that seeks, love that gladly suffers. Love that is willing to earn a scar.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Creative reading style by Jean.
Ablaze for God
#32 Love for Souls is a Sacrificing Love
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 125-127) ZondervanPublishingHouse
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| Man praying |
Father, as we may not be used to seeking those who are lost in sin as we should, we ask for Your help in denying ourselves, and to learn what it means to have a costly discipleship for the sake of Christ.
We understand that once a person receives Christ as Savior and forsakes his sin, we need to tell them it includes not only making Christ their Lord and following Him, but that it might become a costly discipleship, as the'yll begin to learn to serve Him inspite of what others may say.
Our efforts to identify with folks in need will cause us to take upon ourselves their heartbreak and their woes. We'll feel the pangs of broken vows and bitter heart cries of both those sinning and those sinned against.
Father, do a work in our souls, to where we'll begin to have a heart after the brokenness of lost souls, and to prayerfully reach out to them, to find a way to minister the love of Jesus to them.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, and for His honor, because He loves the lost and desires for us to be willing to sacrifice our time, finances and efforts to follow Your Holy Spirit to will them to Jesus. Amen.
We understand that once a person receives Christ as Savior and forsakes his sin, we need to tell them it includes not only making Christ their Lord and following Him, but that it might become a costly discipleship, as the'yll begin to learn to serve Him inspite of what others may say.
Our efforts to identify with folks in need will cause us to take upon ourselves their heartbreak and their woes. We'll feel the pangs of broken vows and bitter heart cries of both those sinning and those sinned against.
Father, do a work in our souls, to where we'll begin to have a heart after the brokenness of lost souls, and to prayerfully reach out to them, to find a way to minister the love of Jesus to them.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, and for His honor, because He loves the lost and desires for us to be willing to sacrifice our time, finances and efforts to follow Your Holy Spirit to will them to Jesus. Amen.
Today's Bible verses-
Galatians 5:16 "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and
you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."
and courageous,” God encouraged Joshua. “Do not
be terrified, do not be discouraged. For I the Lord
am with you wherever you may go".
Eph. 6:18 (NIV) "And pray in the Spirit on all
occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on
praying for all the saints."
Today's quotes-
~ Larry Lea- "Dressing for success is a reality as well in the spiritual realm, and it involves putting on the whole armor of God. In fact, that's the only way to dress for success in the Lord, because the whole armor of God is a prerequisite to taking the kingdom of God by force, winning the race and withstanding the enemy in evil days. So you've got to learn to put on the whole armor of God, and do it every day." (See Eph. 6:13-17). (THE WEAPONS OF YOUR WARFARE)
~ O. Hallesby- "I have sinned a great deal against my merciful heavenly Father since I was converted, and I have grieved him a great deal during the twenty-five years that I have lived with Him. But the greatest sin that I have committed since my conversion, the way in which I have grieved my Lord the most, is in connection with prayer, my neglect of prayer. This neglect is the cause of my many other sins of omission as well as of commission." (p. 39 of PRAYER.)Today's popular post-
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| (Google image) Photo credit: Blogspot.com |
Dr. Wesley L. Duewel:
"Prayer Groaning is Spirit-born. The Holy Spirit in His mighty prevailing for us prays with unutterable groaning. The word for "groan" in Romans 8:26 is stenagmos.
It is an inward groaning, and it is in the plural. Alaletos is the word meaning "inexpressible."
Upcoming posts-
#36 Your Love for the Church
15th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
The Last 20 of 60 Benefits of Praying in Tongues
17th- Saturday's post by Jean Oathout
#37 How to Love the Church
20th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#38 Have a Parental Love for the Church
22nd- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)
Healing Thoughts and Prayers
Healing Thoughts and Prayers
(Jean's published book)
Paper back $7.95
(Be sure to "look inside" to see contents
through the 2nd devotion)
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