- Dec 13, 2004
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Dying to Self
When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely ignored, and you dont sting and hurt with the insult of the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ,
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence,
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility - and endure as Jesus endured,
When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any garment, any interruption by the will of God,
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown,
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances,
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature then yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart,
Are you dead yet? The Spirit will remind us that resurrection cannot be accomplished on a live person. For a resurrected Life-in-Christ, we must die to self!
Story: THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility - and endure as Jesus endured,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any garment, any interruption by the will of God,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature then yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
Are you dead yet? The Spirit will remind us that resurrection cannot be accomplished on a live person. For a resurrected Life-in-Christ, we must die to self!
Abba John said that Abba Anuvius and Abba Pastor and some of their brethren came to the place called Terenuth, until they should see where they had better stay, and remained there a few days in an ancient temple. And the elder Abba Anuvius said to Abba Pastor: "Do me this kindness, you and your brethren. Let everyone rest in his cell, and let us have nothing to do with one another this week." Abba Pastor answered: "Let us do as you wish." And they did so. And there in the temple was a stone statue. The elder Abba Anuvius rose in the morning and threw stones at the statue's face, and in the evening he said to it: "Forgive me," and he spent the week doing that. On Saturday, they gathered together and Abba Pastor said to Abba Anuvius: "I saw you, Abba, this week throwing stones at the statue's face and asking for its forgiveness. Does a believer do that?" The elder replied: "I did that for you. When you saw me throwing stones at the face of the statue, did it say anything, or was it angry?" Abba Pastor said: "No!" And again: "When I asked for pardon, was it touched by it or did it say: 'I shall not forgive?" "No," answered Abba Pastor. "Here we are seven brethren. If you want us to live together, let us be like this dead statue which, even if insulted, is not troubled. But if you do not wish to be like that, look, there are four gates to this temple; let each one go wherever he likes." And the brethren fell to the ground, saying to Abba Anuvius: "We shall do as you will, Abba, and obey your words." And Abba Pastor said: "We spent all our time together, acting according to the words of the elder which he told us. One of us he appointed bursar, and whatever he offered us, we ate, and it was impossible for any of us to say: Bring us something else, or: I do not want to eat this. And so we spent all our time in rest and peace." - The Desert Fathers
