LINK
Paulus levede det selvfornægtende liv og tog imod lidelser for Kristi skyld. Han blev forfulgt, pisket, fængslet og stenet for evangeliets skyld. På forhånd havde han overgivet alt til Kristus for, at han kunne være forberedt til, at kende Kristus i hans lidelser og få del i opstandelsen.
Mange kristne i dag bliver forfulgte på samme måde og må pines, plages og lade deres liv for evangeliets skyld.
Det er ikke nået til Danmark endnu, men kan snart være her. Er vi så forberedte?
Har vi på forhånd overgivet alt til Jesus og regner det for tab?
Dette liv er ikke modsætning til håbets og glædens og troens liv. Paulus havde både håbet, glæden og troen midt i hans trængsler. Han førte mennesker til Jesus, helbredte de syge og udfriede de besatte. Han opbyggede menigheden samtidig med, at han fornægtede sig selv og verdens liv.
FIL.4-4 " GLÆD JER ALTID I HERREN, JEG SIGER IGEN: GLÆD JER. OG VERS 13
" ALT FORMÅR JEG I HAM, SOM GIVER MIG KRAFT."
Mange kristne er ikke forberedt på kommende
forfølgelser og der vil ske et stort frafald under trængsler. Lad
os være forberedt, så vi ikke fornægter den Herre vi tjener.
Det er ikke efter menneskers natur at bære korset, at
elske korset, at spæge legemet ved afholdenhed og faste. At gøre
det underdanigt, at fly æresbevisninger, gerne at tåle
forsmædelser, at ringagte sig selv og ønske at blive ringagtet, at
lide alskens genvordigheder i forening med tab og ikke at begære
nogen lykke i denne verden. Alt sammen for Kristi skyld.
Ser du på dig selv og dine egne kræfter, da vil du
indrømme, at du ikke formår noget sådant af dig selv. Men sætter
du din lid til Herren, da skal du få styrke fra himmelen, og både
verden og kødet vil blive dig underdanige.
Ej heller den fjendske Djævel skal du frygte, når du
er bevæbnet med troen og betegnet med Kristi Kors.
Vær forvisset om, at du må afdø fra dig selv her i
dette liv, og jo mere nogen gør det, desto mere begynder han at leve
for Gud.
Ingen er skikket til at fatte himmelske ting, medmindre
han finder sig i at tåle genvordigheder for Kristi skyld.
Intet er Gud velbehageligere, intet dig selv gavnligere
i denne verden, end gerne at lide for Kristi skyld. Og dersom du selv
skulle vælge, burde du hellere ønske at lide modgang for Kristi
skyld, end at vederkvæges med mange husvalelser, fordi du således
ville være mere ligedannet med Kristus og med alle de hellige, som
har nået målet.
Fil. 3 7-11 " Men det, der engang var mig fordele,
det har jeg for Kristi skyld lært at regne for tab.
Ja, jeg regner i sandhed alt for tab i sammenligning med det langt højere at kende Kristus Jesus, min Herre.
For hans skyld har jeg lidt tab på alt og regner det for skarn, for at jeg kan få Kristus i eje og findes i ham, ikke med min egen retfærdighed, der fås gennem loven, men med den, der fås ved tro på Kristus, retfærdigheden fra Gud grundet på troen, og for at jeg må kende ham og kraften i hans opstandelse og fællesskabet med ham i hans lidelser, så jeg bliver lig med ham i hans død, om jeg dog måtte nå frem til opstandelsen fra de døde."
Amen Herre Jesus hjælp os til et sådant liv!
ENGLISH
BEARING HIS CROSS WITH JOY!
Paul lived the self-denying life
and accepted suffering for Christ's sake. He was persecuted, whipped,
imprisoned and stoned for the sake of the gospel. In advance, he had
surrendered everything to Christ so that he could be prepared to know
Christ in his sufferings and share in the resurrection.
Many Christians today are
persecuted in the same way and must be tormented, tormented, and let
go of their lives for the sake of the gospel.
It has not reached Denmark yet,
but may soon be here. Are we so prepared?
Have we surrendered everything to
Jesus beforehand and consider it a loss?
This life is not unlike the life
of hope and joy and faith. Paul had both hope, joy and faith in the
midst of his afflictions. He led people to Jesus, healed the sick and
delivered the possessed. He built the congregation while denying
himself and the world.
FILE.4-4 "ALWAYS JOY THE
LORD, I SAY AGAIN: JOY AND VERSE 13
"EVERYTHING I FORCE IN HIM
WHO GIVES ME POWER."
Many Christians are not prepared
for coming persecution and there will be a great apostasy during
hardship. Let us be prepared so that we do not deny the Lord we
serve.
It is not in human nature to carry
the cross, to love the cross, to nourish the body by abstinence and
fasting. To make it submissive, to fly honors, to endure reproaches,
to humiliate oneself and to be despised, to suffer all sorts of
repercussions in the face of loss, and to desire no happiness in this
world. All for Christ's sake.
If you look at yourself and your
own powers, you will admit that you are not capable of such a thing
by yourself. But if you put your trust in the Lord, you will gain
strength from heaven, and both the world and the flesh will be
submissive to you.
Nor do you fear the enemy Devil
when you are armed with faith and denoted by the Cross of Christ.
Rest assured that you must die
from yourself here in this life, and the more someone does, the more
he begins to live before God.
No one is capable of grasping
heavenly things unless he finds himself tolerating reproaches for
Christ's sake.
Nothing is more pleasing to God,
nothing better to yourself in this world than to suffer for Christ's
sake. And if you choose yourself, you should rather suffer adversity
for Christ's sake than be rebuked with many household choices,
because you would thus be more equal with Christ and with all the
saints who have attained the goal.
File. 3 7-11 "But what once
was my merit, I have learned for Christ's sake to count for loss.
Yes, in truth, I count too much
loss in comparison to knowing far more Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake, I have lost
everything and count it as scarce, that I may have Christ in his
possession and be in him, not with my own righteousness which is
obtained by the law, but with that which is obtained by faith in
Christ; the righteousness of God on account of the faith, and that I
may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship
with him in his sufferings, so that I may be equal to him in his
death, though I must reach the resurrection from the dead. "
Amen Lord Jesus help us to such a
life!
