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| Drawing by the Order of the GOOD SHEPHERD+ |
Who
is in Control ?
Message by BYRON MILLER,
of Wellspring Mennonite Church,
Athens, TN.
PART 1
Our
mind-set,
our focus,
the things that we cherish most,
determine
who we are.
Who
is calling the shots on my decisions, on how I live, and really, on who I am?
In
other words, within my own heart, who is in control of my life?
COLOSSIANS 3
If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him
in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which
is idolatry:
Our
mind-set ... our focus ... the things that we cherish most ... determine who we
are.
So...
who are we?
It talks in Colossians about
setting our affections, setting our
focus, setting our ambitions elsewhere.
What
do we value most ? We need to set our
affections, our focus, our ambitions on Heavenly, Eternal, Christ-centered
things.
Notice
in verse 1 it says,
...
"Be ye risen... " not just have risen, not just were
risen. We are not going to be risen.
Note that the
verb is a present active form, BE RISEN.
Verse 3 says, "For ye are
dead."
Aha ! Does Self within me
seem dead to those around
me? Is
Christ living instead ?
Scripture says, "For ye are dead
and your life is hid with
Christ in GOD."
Let's look at this
another way.
Who is hid in my life? Is it me
that is hid... or is it CHRIST ? Who is most prominent ?
When somebody gets to know you very well, can
they see what is driving your life ?
Verse 5 says mortify. "Mortify" is
to subjugate by abstinence, discipline, or self-inflicted suffering.
"Mortify therefore..." That
does not sound like something we are naturally going to gravitate
towards, does it ?
There is one Throne within each of our
spirits.
Who resides there ? Christ asks for nothing
less than to reside there, to reside on that Throne.
Now, Self
grudgingly gives up anything.
Though, if forced to do so, Self will
usually give up
ANYTHING except the right
for Him+ to reside there as
King+, as LORD in control.
That, however, is what HE+ calls His+ own
right, His+
own place in the human heart. That is HOME to HIM+.
Thoughts
like, "If I become a Christian, do I have to give up this? "
or "Since I am a Christian, can I
still do that ?" are really LORD-SHIP questions.
They are actually
avoiding the real issue of LORD-SHIP in my life.
Who is in control ?
Dear Heavenly FATHER,
I repent of trying to control my life, my spouse's life, my friends' lives.
Help me to STOP being so controlling of every thing and every body and to re-focus my energies on performing my own submission to Thy SON+, our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. ... for the glory of Thy HOLY Name.
This I ask in the NAME of JESUS, my Savior... the only ONE+ Who+ can save me from my Self. Amen
