Friday’s Question

Do we really have to die to self to be renewed in Him?

 I’m a big perennial flower lover.  Buy them once, plant them once and enjoy the fruits of your labor a lift time.  Sometimes they have to be pruned back, cutting off the dead limbs and trimming the leaves that are weathered and worn from the harsh surroundings.  But they always come back doubled in size and more beautiful than ever. They literally died all the way back and God brought them alive again so they could please those around them with their beauty.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.—Matthew 16:25, NASB

Have you ever thought of your self as a perennial.  God molded and shaped us once, placed us in our mother’s womb so that once we were born He could enjoy the fruits of His labor for eternity.  But do we always act in ways that brings happiness to our Lord?  Are we working so hard to prove ourselves beautiful in the sight of those on earth that we forget about dying to self for our Lord?

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

So I will consider this the next time I’m trying to prove my point, pave my way, carve out my spot in the lime light and have my say. I must die to self to be renewed and become a more beautiful me.

Lord,I am grateful for your love for me.  I pray that I will let you be my guide. Amen!