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from Section V ON BEARING THE CROSS: |
"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross *DAILY,* and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?" (Luke 9:23-25) Take Up His Cross Daily
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good *soldier* of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." (2 Timothy 2:3-4) Soldier of Jesus Christ
"But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, *thou shalt DENY ME thrice.* And when he thought thereon, he wept." (Mark 14:71-72) Wounds from Friends
"At my first answer no man stood with me, but *all men forsook me:* I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion."(2 Tim 4:16-17) Abandonment
"But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, *in afflictions,* in necessities, in distresses, (2 Cor 6:4 KJV) In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings..." (2 Cor 6:5 KJV) In Afflictions
"Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were* troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.* Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus..." ( 2 Corinthians 7:4-6) Troubled on Every Side
"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a *thorn in the flesh,* the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthinas 12:7-10) Paul's Thorn in the Flesh (Aggravations)
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer *persecution.*" ( 2 Timothy 3:12) Shall Suffer Persecution
"And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:" (1 Cor 4:12 KJV) Being Persecuted...
"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:" (Gal 2:4) False Brethren
"Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches." Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities." (2 Cor 11:25-30) In Perils
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Cor 10:13) Bearing Crosses
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: *For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.* If ye endure *chastening,* God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without *chastisement,* whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which *corrected us,* and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days *chastened* us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no *chastening* for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; (Heb 12:3-12) Disciplines (Chastening)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, *He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.* Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (John 15:1-4) He Purgeth It (Prunes)
The Testings of God
Hast Thou Not Put a Hedge About Him?
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, *Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?* Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an HEDGE about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and *touch all that he hath,* and he will curse Thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; ONLY UPON HIMSELF PUT NOT forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:2-12)
But Touch His Bone and Flesh, and he will...
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? *and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.* And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. *But put forth thine hand now, and TOUCH HIS BONE AND HIS FLESH, and he will curse thee to thy face.* And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. (Job 2:3-7)
When He Hath Tried Me...
On the left hand, where He doth work, but I cannot behold him: He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him: But he knoweth the way that I take: *when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.* (Job 23:9-10)
Abraham's Test of Faith
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (test) Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Gen 22:1-2)
Accounting That God Was Able To Raise Him Up...
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
*Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead;* from whence also he received him in a figure. (Heb 11:17-19)
To Sift You As Wheat
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, *Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:*
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:31-34)
| DATE: | MY CROSSES: | NOTES: |
|---|---|---|
| 3/1/-- | Failed relationships with loved ones. | He said families would divide; He said we would receive other family; He said we must not love family more than Him; He said to bless those that curse me. |
| 3/2/-- | Constant pain... | He said we must fill up that which is behind; to present the pain to Him as an offering; to suffer with Him so that we may be glorified with Him; to be a brave soldier of Christ; to joyfully look toward the rewards that are ahead. |
| 3/3/-- | Caring for elderly parents. | Recall all the sacrifices they made for me. |
| 3/4/-- | Hard work, low pay, worn out. | Remember "Idleness is devil's workshop." |
| 3/5/-- | Deep wounds over loved ones. | Jesus wept. |
And Ye Would Not!
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Mat. 23:37)
"In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." (Mat. 2:18)
...And for Your Children
"But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children." (Luke 23:28 KJV)
There Is A Fountain
Lose all their guilty stains,
The dying thief rejoiced to see
Wash all my sins away,
Thou dying Lamb, Thy Precious Blood,
Are saved, to sin no more,
For since by faith, I saw the Stream,
And shall be till I die, |
{51} Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:{52} For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
{53} The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
(Luke 12:51-53 KJV)
{28} Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.{29} And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
{30} But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
{31} But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
(Mark 10:28-31 KJV)
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.{36} And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
{37} He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
{38} And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
{39} He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
(Mat 10:35-39 KJV)
{21} And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled{22} In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
{23} If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
{24} Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up [supplement] that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: {25} Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
(Col 1:21-25 KJV)
---
{29} For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;{30} Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
(Phil 1:29-30 KJV)
{7} But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
{8} Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
{9} And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
{10} That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
{11} If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
(Phil 3:7-11 KJV)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. {15} For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
{16} The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: {17} And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
{18} For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
(Rom 8:14-18 KJV)
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. {2} And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.{3} Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
{4} No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
(2 Tim 2:1-4 KJV)
{36} And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: {37} They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;{38} (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
{39} And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: {40} God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
(Heb 11:36-40 KJV)
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,{2} Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. {4} Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
{5} And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
{6} For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. {7} If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? {8} But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
{9} Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? {10} For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
{11} Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
{12} Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
(Heb 12:1-12 KJV)
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