I wish I could die!

And Jesus said,

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." 

John 12:24

Matthew 5:48

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.."

John 15:13-20

“ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

Wow - those are pretty strong words. "Be perfect....as your heavenly Father is perfect..." and, ...."We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,...." That's just a minute amount of scriptural quotations. That at times can be overwhelming to think about living up to. At least for me.

However - over the years of getting to know the Lord better I do believe I have found the answer to accomplishing it all! Yes, I said ALL. Being able to - "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.." as well as do everything else our Lord and Master is requesting us to do! The answer is found in one three or four letter word. Used many times over in the New Covenant.

Die/Death

It's that simple. Well, in theory anyway.

In real life it's not quite as "simple" as it reads in the manual.

But then where "I" mess up is just another opportunity for grace to come to the rescue.

There is no sugar coating the fact that these days doing as Yeshua did is not something that just comes second nature to most of us. The "love of G-d" - IS who Yeshua WAS - IS who Yeshua IS still. For Him to love unconditionally IS who he IS. Not so for you and me. 

Still, that doesn't stop us from being called - summoned by Yeshua himself to do just that.

2 Corinthians 3:18

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."   

We are in fact called to become as our Master is - Yeshua - perfect in every respect. The best way to become like Him, or  like anyone for that matter is to spend time with them. The more time we spend with someone - quality time we spend with them - the better we get to know them - and- truthfully - if you take a moment to think about it right now, you will note in your own life -  anyone whom you have spent much quality time with - there will be character traits of theirs that have now become a part of who you are as well. It's only natural.

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Since I posted this blog post I received this weeks FFOZ (First Fruits of ZION) E-Drash. Amazing! I have to share with you as it fits in perfectly with what the Lord is showing me here!

This is just one excerpt of the the e-drash. 
You can view the post in it's entirety * here.* 

"If a person desires to develop in wisdom, he should spend time with the wise. If a person desires to develop in righteousness, he should spend time with righteous people. If a person desires to become a good leader, he should stay close to good leaders. Likewise, as we become better disciples of our teacher Yeshua of Nazareth, we will become more and more like Him. The Gospel of Luke says, "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40).
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So it IS entirely possible to be obedient to what Yeshua says in 

Mathew 5:28. 

Also - through the Tanakh and the New Covenant - 

The key is to DIE to ones self. 

Death to flesh = Life to the Spirit.

Allowing us to be able to see with spirit eyes. 

Hear with spirit ears. 

Feel with the heart of the Father. 

Discern by Spirit of G-d. 

Move by direction of the Lord. 

Then we will be satisfied when we will see HIS face in righteousness; 

and 

We shall be satisfied when we awake in HIS likeness!

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So why am I writing this post?

Well - it's hitting home, again. The world is spinning round and round and round. It seems like people are getting angry over nothing to everyone and no one and people they love. It makes it challenging  to love unconditionally all the time. Just being real. So I though I would put a few words from the most important and most wise Man I know down on my blog. I know it encourages me. I hope it encourages you too!

The Word of G-d tells us in so many places that if we can only DIE to our flesh (sin)  that we will LIVE to G-d.

The book of Romans has a lot of golden nuggets about Dying to Self. Here is just a few verses.

Romans 6:1-11

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

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***I wish I could learn to Die to Myself once and for all!

Thus obtain total victory over Sin forever!***

~However~

This next scripture is pretty awesome! Brings me comfort and JOY!

Relieves me from allot of guilt and responsibility.

 Focus on the highlighted portion which reads..." and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,..."

The way I read it -receive it - is that in receiving the awesome sacrifice  made for me (Yeshua 's death on the cross) I have been crucified WITH Him. He did it FOR me . Paid the price. So I died WITH Him. Also I am privileged to be raised up WITH HIM as well.  So -(this is the REALLY great part here!) Now - the life - I live - (the life I so much of the time struggle with, fail at, have so many hardships in, etc) yes THAT life...I live not by MY FAITH, (thankfully because MY faith falters way too much) but - (this is the  most awesome revelation AND the WORD of G-d speaking beloved) ..."I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Did you get that?

Here, I'll say it again, "It's not by my efforts or my faith that I am expected to try and live a perfect life or be like Yeshua - no - the Word of G-d tells me -

"I live by the faith of the Son of God!"

I don't have to depend on my faith to accomplish the great things in life - the small things in life - or anything in between!

Because I have been crucified with Christ!

Oh Glory Hallelujah!

So - yeah- are you starting to see why I want to DIE so badly?

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Galatians 2:20

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

and is seated at the ".......right hand of the heavenly Father in the heavenly places,

 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:" Ephesians 1:20,21

This is the one thing that happens when we learn to DIE to self!

We learn to LOVE like Yeshua!

Which is and always has been my absolute 

♥ number one desire in life ♥

1 Corinthians 13

Love

"If I speak in the tongues

of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 Love never fails. 

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love."

John 15:13

" Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Romans 5:8

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"

Ephesians 4:32

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

1 Peter 4:8

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

A Heart Like Yours

I want a heart like yours Lord.

No other heart will do.

I need a heart like yours, Lord.

If I’m to love like you.

I want to love them like you love me.

You’re always gentle and kind.

Never boastful, proud or rude,

I want to love them like you.

You never look out for yourself Lord.

You’re always looking out for me.

You don’t keep tabs on every thing I do wrong.

You never anger easily.

I want a heart like yours Lord.

No other heart will do.

I need a heart like yours, Lord.

If I’m to love to love like you.

I want to love them like you love me.

Always being my best friend.

Never delighting when evil comes my way.

But rejoicing in the truth instead.

 

I want to love them like you love me.

You’ve never failed me yet.

You’re always there to protect me Lord.

Ever trusting; in me your hope is set.

.

I want to love them like you love me.

I want to touch them like you touch me.

I want to show them that your love is real.

I want a heart like yours, Lord.

I need a heart like yours.

Give me a heart like yours.

A heart like yours.

By: Amy Colleen (A song)

Copyright January 2002 all rights reserved

(1Cor. 13:4-8)