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\ / HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine --
http://www.heartlight.org/
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November 2, 2007
/--- THE LIGHT EN ESPAÑOL! -----------------------------\
The wait for a Spanish language Heartlight is over!
Come enjoy Today's Verse in Spanish, with many more
features already in development. Heartlight is
now reaching even more people around the world with
the positive message of Jesus Christ. Praise God!
\----------------------- http://www.laluzdelalma.com ---/
=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Losing Control, by Paul Faulkner
What scares me to death about death is the fear that I'll cease to be
-- no more opportunity to exert my own will and no more opportunity to
make choices about how to live my life. It's almost impossible to hand
over your whole being to anyone, yet that is what death makes us do.
Even more astonishing and demanding, that is what Christ asks us to do
voluntarily.
Then he [Jesus] said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever
loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for you to
gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit your very self?" (Luke
9:23-25 TNIV).
The apostle Paul called us to do the same basic thing when he wrote:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's
mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God—this is true worship (Romans 12:1).
God asks us to clean out that soil of weeds and thistles.
Rather than give up our control, we'd prefer to remain ourselves, to do
things our own way, and to be driven by our own ego. Unfortunately,
that's the very thing that Christ warns against because we are so often
"centered in on" the very things that will destroy us.
Like the frustrated farmer, our soil is full of thistles and weeds. To
battle against these thistles and weeds, we often try and keep them cut
short. But, if we want to produce good, pure wheat, we have to plow up
the field, pull out the thistles, and let the freeze kill the roots of
the weeds, so that the real desired crop can grow.
Jesus plows deep into our souls so God's goodness can flourish in the
rich and fertile soil of our lives. God asks us to clean out that soil
of weeds and thistles and let him cultivate his character in our lives.
But for this to happen, we have to let him have control!
Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes and showers his righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12).
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(c) 2007 Paul Faulkner.
RELATED LINKS:
* Losing What You Started With!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200405/20040507_startedwith.html
* Who's Driving?
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200608/20060826_whosdriving.html
* Scream Free Parenting
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200608/20060803_screamfree.html
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200711/20071102_losingcontrol.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
SEE THE MORNING, by Chris Tomlin
Award-winning artist Tomlin offers a whole new set of soul-inspiring
easy-to-sing songs about God's faithfulness.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
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