The Fruits of Dying to Self
The Fruits of Dying to Self
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. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:23-24 (KJV)
Our mirrored reflections reveal very little of our true essence, of our souls or of our abounding potential for truth and goodness. No, one must go infinitely deeper…beyond the surface and color of our skin, our features, physiques and curves in order to see our true selves. Once there, we must venture even further, delving deeper still within the depths of our hearts to trudge through the clutter of our inner biases, our opinions, our egos and vanities, our pride and prejudices, vices and virtues, all of which have compelled and shaped us up to this point…to be us. Once we begin to see ourselves how God sees us, only then can we begin to remove the dross of our sinful and selfish nature and begin a pathway to true spiritual growth and righteousness. At the spirit’s core of our genuine character of truth are seeds of selflessness which flower into humility, love, faithfulness, forgiveness, chasteness and sympathy which germinate daily…exponentially. In order for these seeds to thrive, grow and transform into Godly character within us…selfishness, the self that feeds off of our pride, ego, vanity, hatred, lusts, jealousy, and faithlessness, must wither and ultimately die. Those selfish desires within us must decrease as the selfless virtues within increase.
This will be a noble and silent pursuit, this striving for a sacrificial spirit within ourselves but it can and will only be fought and won in the stillness of our prayers, meditations and solitude. It’s a silent spiritual war that is waged within the depths of our souls where no mortal will discern our pain and or the defeats and triumphs over ourselves. Yet once attained, everyone around us will smell the beautiful aroma of a transformed spirit as those seeds of selflessness bloom into the fruit and flowers of a Godly character within us. What inevitably takes root will be a legacy of peace, love and sincere devotion to a life of blessedness and of quiet divine inner truth that will produce a fruit of inner and outer serenity…one that will pass all understanding and mortal comprehension. So whatever it is, whatever the struggle let us endeavor into that storm, together, with a selflessness and sacrificial heart. For if we do... righteousness and truth await us on the other side. -Jason Versey from "Silent Sacrifices"
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. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:23-24 (KJV)
Our mirrored reflections reveal very little of our true essence, of our souls or of our abounding potential for truth and goodness. No, one must go infinitely deeper…beyond the surface and color of our skin, our features, physiques and curves in order to see our true selves. Once there, we must venture even further, delving deeper still within the depths of our hearts to trudge through the clutter of our inner biases, our opinions, our egos and vanities, our pride and prejudices, vices and virtues, all of which have compelled and shaped us up to this point…to be us. Once we begin to see ourselves how God sees us, only then can we begin to remove the dross of our sinful and selfish nature and begin a pathway to true spiritual growth and righteousness. At the spirit’s core of our genuine character of truth are seeds of selflessness which flower into humility, love, faithfulness, forgiveness, chasteness and sympathy which germinate daily…exponentially. In order for these seeds to thrive, grow and transform into Godly character within us…selfishness, the self that feeds off of our pride, ego, vanity, hatred, lusts, jealousy, and faithlessness, must wither and ultimately die. Those selfish desires within us must decrease as the selfless virtues within increase.
This will be a noble and silent pursuit, this striving for a sacrificial spirit within ourselves but it can and will only be fought and won in the stillness of our prayers, meditations and solitude. It’s a silent spiritual war that is waged within the depths of our souls where no mortal will discern our pain and or the defeats and triumphs over ourselves. Yet once attained, everyone around us will smell the beautiful aroma of a transformed spirit as those seeds of selflessness bloom into the fruit and flowers of a Godly character within us. What inevitably takes root will be a legacy of peace, love and sincere devotion to a life of blessedness and of quiet divine inner truth that will produce a fruit of inner and outer serenity…one that will pass all understanding and mortal comprehension. So whatever it is, whatever the struggle let us endeavor into that storm, together, with a selflessness and sacrificial heart. For if we do... righteousness and truth await us on the other side. -Jason Versey from "Silent Sacrifices"
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