I cannot explain this last semester in any better way than
to say I am learning to live life within the Cross! Oh there is so much peace, oh so
much joy and oh so great a fulfillment to find when one can truly identify with the sufferings of Christ and can understand that this is the ONLY way for the power of the Spirit to be bestowed
upon one’s life as it was upon Christ’s. John the Baptist puts this principle
very simply but in an extremely profound way when he states in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
This concept is often VERY hard for the Western cultural
mindset to grasp, because Westerners tend strongly to a focus which is built
upon one thing: ME, MYSELF and I. With having this devastating concentration
upon self, man fails to find the true answers to conquering the chasms’ of loneliness,
fear, anxiety and many other difficult situations that he is faced with in
life. I am so promptly reminded of a quote from the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus, “Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bare, all because we
do not carry everything to God in prayer”!
This principle of identifying with the cross we find SO
masterfully portrayed in the life of our Lord and Savior. One of the most
profound passages that my Father has used in my life is John 15. He states the
very heart of what I am trying to say in John 15:12-17, “This
is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man
than this, that a man lay down his life (soul: mind, will and emotions) for his
friends. 14 Ye are my
friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant
knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things
that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain:
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you,
that ye love one another.”
But this is only PART 1 of what the Lord has been teaching
me this last semester; PART 2, which can only come after PART 1, is the hope,
joy and fulfillment that the way of Cross brings that I am finding to be true for
myself!
We have been crucified with Christ, died in Him and are now
raised to: NEW LIFE! THIS IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE CROSS! Therefore, the end result of
the Cross is to crucify the flesh in the glorious hope that the life of Christ, through
the power of His Holy Spirit within us, may be seen through us in ALL the
world! This is what Paul was saying in Colossians 1:24-29, “Who
now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that
which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake,
which is the church: 25
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is
given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the
mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints: 27 To
whom God would make known what is the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man
in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour,
striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
It is through the Cross that we have the hope of Christ
being empowered in us that we may be overcomers in this defeated world, there
is NO other way! We so often look for a third choice, but fail to understand
that: THERE IS NO THIRD CHOICE! We either fully choose the way of life
by choosing to suffer in the flesh through identifying with the Cross, or we fully
choose the way of this cosmos (world) and our self which is the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes and the pride of life that bears fruit only unto unto
death! 1 Peter 4:1 states, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in
the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath
suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;”
This undeniable truth stands not for us to define (for it
has already been defined by the Word of God), manipulate, change or try to
conform it to what we desire, but instead it is the truth of God that only
gives the option of a choice by which we either choose life or death, blessing
or cursing! Oh what AWESOME freedom we can have if we choose the way of the
Cross that the power of Christ may rest upon us! Do you ever wonder why you
don’t see vibrant Christians and glowing people who are whole heartedly pursuing
after the Lord? This is only due to one answer and that is: They have chosen
the way of this world and its false riches to fill a deep void which has NO power to fulfill.
My plea to you is this, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look
full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in
the light of His glory and grace”.
Lastly, I truly want to thank my brothers and sisters in
Christ who have prayed, are praying and will continue to pray that His
Kingdship would come in His life in me as it is so freely come in heaven! You
will NEVER know how much I am a debtor to you and I pray that God would fill
you with the riches of His glory in Jesus Christ! Please understand this, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due
season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal. 6:9). You have ministered to me through prayer and
I am seeing the fruit of God’s righteousness being born within me knowing this is NOT a work of my flesh, but instead the work of the Almighty! Be strong
in Him; don’t be discouraged for your God is MIGHTY to save if you look to Him!
In Christ Alone Your Brother,
Nate
~ Isa. 61:1-3
Here are some pictures from this semester that I thought you all might enjoy... |
| IMI Music Ministry |
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| Guys Dorm |
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| Bluebonnet Flowers... |
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| Graduating Class of Fall 2014 |
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| Firewheel... |
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| Mourning Cloak Butterfly |
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| A Beautiful Sunset! |
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| TX Prickly Poppy |
