Closer To Heaven
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This week as we cover Lesson 12, Dying Like a Seed, we’ll answer the question of what dying to self really means. Come join the discussion as we discuss this core principle of being a disciple.
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/dying-like-a-seed-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/
“The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening’” (1 Samuel 3:10, NIV).
Have you ever heard that still small voice of the Holy Spirit but ignored it? Consequently, everything went wrong, and you thought to yourself later, Oh no, why didn’t I listen?
First Samuel describes a story of an old man and two wicked sons who didn’t listen to the Lord and a little boy who did. Though there were strong warnings from God, those who needed to change their course didn’t.
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
Eli’s sons had other things on their minds than the things of God. And even when Eli, after hearing what God wanted, spoke to his sons, he didn’t seem to do anything else. And his sons were obviously not ready to submit the details of their lives to God’s will. What a contrast with the young Samuel!
Preacher Charles Stanley describes how essential it is to cultivate openness to God’s voice in what he calls “shifting into neutral.” He says: “The Holy Spirit … does not speak for the sake of passing along information. He speaks to get a response. And He knows when our agenda has such a large slice of our attention that it is a waste of time to suggest anything to the contrary. When that is the case, He is often silent. He waits for us to become neutral enough to hear and eventually obey.” — The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992), Pages 179, 180.
| What do you think Stanley means by becoming “neutral enough”? When you think about your openness to God, what things often prevent you from being “neutral enough to hear and eventually obey”? What do you need to do in your life to cultivate openness to God’s voice and a decisiveness to be obedient to His direction? |
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/tuesday-willingness-to-listen/
by Alvin Masarira | 12 September 2022 | As I write this article, I am traveling across the African continent on a trip that has taken me from Southern Africa to the beautiful East African country of Ethiopia, then across the continent to Ghana (in West Africa) and then to the small nation of Liberia. […] Source: https://atoday.org/the-queen-is-dead-long-live-the-king/
Key Thought: Submission to God’s will comes as we die to our own desires and ambitions. This opens the way for true service to others.
September 17, 2022
(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).
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Many Christians sincerely seek to know God’s will for their lives. “If only I could know God’s will for my life, I would sacrifice everything for Him.” But even after promising God this, we still may be confused about what His will is. The reason for this confusion may be found in Romans 12:1-2. Paul is describing how we can know God’s will, and he makes an important point: if you want to know what God’s will is, you have to sacrifice first!
Read Romans 12:1-2. Paul writes that we will be able to “test and approve what God’s will is” (Romans 12:2, NIV) when:
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
It is only the renewed mind that truly can understand God’s will. But this renewal hinges on our death to self first. It was not enough that Christ simply suffered for us — He had to die.
When areas of our lives are not completely dead to self, God permits crucibles to bring them to our attention. However, our suffering not only helps us confront our sin — it also gives us an insight into Jesus’ giving Himself up for us. Elisabeth Elliot writes, “The surrender of our heart’s deepest longing is perhaps as close as we come to an understanding of the cross … . our own experience of crucifixion, though immeasurably less than our Savior’s, nonetheless furnishes us with a chance to begin to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings. In every form of our own suffering, He calls us to that fellowship.” — Quest for Love (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1996), p. 182.
| Read and pray over Romans 12:1-2. Think about the things you need to give up in order for you to become a sacrifice. How does this help you to understand the sufferings Jesus faced for you on the cross? How can this knowledge help you enter into fellowship with Jesus and His sufferings? |
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/monday-dying-comes-before-knowing-gods-will/
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