Monday, May 25, 2015

Day 72 - Removal of Self-Centeredness Leads To Life

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 140
         
Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International
Littleton, Colorado
(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

Notice:  this email is part of a BLOG, called Living Life With a Capital “C”Why a blog?  So that many can receive the weekly thoughts I express on Michael’s writings in an easy manner. 


If there is one word to describe what most people want: it would often be “life.”  Just a life.  Yet, too many miss that REAL life is Jesus’ LIFE.  Michael points out to us the simple fact of what is the “greatest hindrance to being delivered from the events that present themselves today”…


DAY 72

Removal Of Self-Centeredness Leads To Life

But {women} shall be preserved through the bearing of children. --I Timothy 2:15

Preserved literally means saved, and saved, as used in the New Testament, refers to being delivered from the self and its manifestations. The greatest hindrance to being delivered from the events that present themselves today is self and its propensity toward obsessing on what will never help it . . . which is its self. A mother has a unique experience in that she might be the most self-centered person in the world, but then in an instant when the doctor lays a baby in her arms, her self-centeredness gives way to focus on another through caring for the baby. Life and death for the baby is determined by the degree to which the mother moves away from being self-centered. I have asked many in ministry, and all seem to agree that women respond first to the Gospel. Why? If they are mothers, then self, the only hindrance to Christ, has been dealt a severe blow in childbirth. With self-life knocked from the paramount position, the women can more easily draw near to Jesus, finding Life and deliverance.

"But {women} shall be preserved through the bearing of children." The understanding to be derived is not that women who cannot or have not had children cannot be saved from self-centeredness. I personally have never given birth to a child, and yet I have every intention of being saved! The analogy is twofold. The birth of a child removes self-centeredness, and this birth happened in pain. The believer has a new birth, a new life that has dealt a fatal deathblow to self; because of this death he can have Life. This birth came through pain. Is the woman's pain in childbirth bad? Yes, but I cannot believe it is not worth it after observing the countenance of my wife as she held each of our newborns. Is the pain of events, disappointments, and relationships really bad when they lead to Life? No, nothing with such a result is ultimately bad. Children of God are faith people and the only people on the face of the planet that can say that. 

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory


Amazing that it is so simple to identify our problem: “self, the only hindrance to Christ.”

Amazing how difficult it seems for Christians to remove self from the paramount position, so that Life can be found, especially when every Christian possesses that Life.

Choose Life…lose self.  Not complicated at all.  Well, amen.



To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com 

NOTICE: another blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com


Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
(twitter) @bleemc67    (email) leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                       936-559-5696

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