Typically we get so targeted on our blessings, or lack of them, that we decide the well being of our spirituality—or our closeness with our Savior—by what God is giving or withholding from us. Nothing might be farther from what Jesus taught. In Luke 9:23, He mentioned, “Whoever desires to be my disciple should deny themselves and take up their cross day by day and comply with me” (NIV). The crucified life shouldn’t be solely a prerequisite for following Him, however an indicator that we’re His.
In Mark 4:20, when Jesus defined to his disciples the parable of the sower, he mentioned, “However these are those sown on good floor, those that hear the phrase, settle for it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and a few 100” (NKJV). The late Bible trainer and preacher A.W. Tozer defined in his guide, The Crucified Life, that to be “a hundred-fold Christian” (one who produces a lot fruit for the dominion of God), one have to be acquainted with Jesus’ demise and know what it means to day by day die to self and reside “the crucified life.”
The apostle Paul revealed his secret for his closeness with Christ: “I’ve been crucified with Christ; and it’s now not I who reside, however Christ lives in me; and the life which I now reside within the flesh I reside by religion within the Son of God, who cherished me and gave Himself up for me” (NASB). Do you want to stroll even nearer to Jesus? Stroll the Calvary highway with Him and day by day die to self by giving up your rights for what He desires, and thus reside the crucified life.
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