Jesus has many lovers of His crown, but very few bearers of His Cross. - C. H. Spurgeon
Most want Jesus as their Savior, but are not willing to have Him as their Lord.
"We praise a Christ to whom we will not pray! We have become a praising people, but not a praying people. For many of God's people the prayer closet is a relic of the past. "Why ask God for what He has already promised? Just get hold of the promises and simply command deliverances!"
We no longer want Christ as much as we want what He can do for us.
We want an escape from pain and suffering.
We want our troubles to vanish. And we are so caught up in our escape from pain, we lose the true meaning of the Cross.
We refuse crosses and losses - no Gethsemane for us! No nights of agony! We don't even know this suffering, bleeding, resurrected Christ!
We want His healing power.
We want His promises of prosperity.
We want His protection.
We want more of this earth's goods.
We want His happiness.
But we really don't want Him alone!" - D. Wilkerson
1Timothy 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
1Timothy6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Timothy 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1Timothy 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
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Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Acts 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
2Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Just CHRIST.
Paul counted it all as dung, that he may win CHRIST.....
Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
1Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Tribulation is the consequence of living contrary to the world.
Read the Book of Job.....
Job had a really bad rock-bottom experience. Here is a righteous man of God, so down that he longed for death. He was so crushed by grief and sorrow, he lost his will to live. All his children were killed by a tornado that caused the roof to cave in on them. He lost his wealth, his influence, and his good name. His friends, such as they were, forsook him and sat in judgment as his accusers. Those he had helped turned against him. Those he loved no longer responded to his needs. Rather than help him, his wife accused him of bringing all the trouble upon himself. Not one person really cared.
Looking into the future, all Job could see was pain, tears, loneliness, and emptiness. There was not one silver lining in all the dark clouds hanging over him. Besides all the battles with being alone in his struggles, a physical infirmity fell upon him. He developed cancerous sores from head to toe. Spiritually, physically, financially -- in every way -- Job was down.
The loneliness Job experienced must have been horrifying. And the despair hung on so long, with no relief in sight, that Job started to get bitter. He despised the day of his birth, as if to say, "God, You brought me into the world -- for this? Was I born to live in turmoil, pain, and trouble?" He questioned why God seemed to ignore him, leaving him to suffer alone.
Oh, yes, Job had a few good days when it looked as if the trouble was all over. He would look ahead and think, "I'm coming out of it. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. A few more days or weeks, and everything will be just fine."
But the days rolled by, and, instead of his burden lifting, it got heavier. Just when he thought the battle was over, IT WORSENED. Plans went awry. Things that he hoped would happen -- didn't. The much-longed-for victory did not materialize.
And yet some turn away from Him because they don't get material blessings, health, or because people don't like them when they stand for the Truth....
Jesus Christ said...
Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
remember this......
Hebrews 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
Sin is the worst enemy both to God and man. Our spiritual warfare is both honorable and necessary; for we are only defending ourselves against that which would destroy us, if it should get the victory over us; we fight for ourselves, for our lives, and therefore ought to be patient and resolute.
Every Christian is enlisted under Christ's banner, to strive against sin, against sinful doctrines, sinful practices, and sinful habits and customs, both in himself and in others.
"You have not yet been called, in your Christian struggles, to the highest kind of sufferings and sacrifices. Great as your trials may seem to have been, yet your faith has not yet been put to the severest test. And since this is so, you ought not to yield in the conflict with evil, but manfully resist it.
The apostle is appealing to the example of the Savior, and urging Christians to persevere amidst their trials by looking to him. Nothing would be more natural, in this connection, than to refer to that dark night when, in the severest conflict with temptation which He ever encountered, He so signally showed his own firmness of purpose, and the effects of resistance on his own bleeding body, and his signal victory, in the garden of Gethsemane." -Albert Barnes