I absolutely LOVE the MercyMe song "I Would Die For You" from their Coming Up To Breathe cd. Google or YouTube it, it is so worth hearing. You can also hear it on my mixpod on my profile page. Here are the lyrics:
And I know that I can find You here
'Cause You promised me You'll always be there
Times like these, it's hard to see
But somehow I have a peace, You're near
And I pray that You will use my life
In whatever way Your name is glorified
Even if surrendering
Means leaving everything behind
My life has never been this clear
Now I know the reason why I'm here
You never know why You're alive
Until you know what you would die for
I would die for You
And I know I don't have much to give
But I promise You I will give You all there is
Can I possibly do less
When through Your own death I live?
No greater love is found
Than of those who lay their own lives down
As sure as I live and breathe
Now I know what it means to be free
I know how hard it is to die to self; how hard it is to trust anyone enough to fully surrender over every part of your being, yet this is what God requires of us. This is what he longs for and desires. I encourage each of you to try your faith, and proclaim as Job (13:15), "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him...". God gave his all, gave his son to die, that we might live for him. Not with our words, but by completely and utterly giving ourselves over to him. Throw yourself onto him, and trust he will catch you. Think of a time when you have been away for a few days, and when you returned, your child ran at you and flung themselves into your arms, fully trusting you would catch them. We are God's children, and he will catch us.
Giving ourselves fully over to him means dying to self. Galatians 2:20 says, "I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me."(CEV). Galatians 5:24 states, "And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires."(CEV).
Another way to look at it is by reading John 15:13-15, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what the master does. But I have called you friends, for all things I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." Most people read this with just the understanding of loving one another being very important, or deeper, that as Jesus called us friend, that he was letting them know he was about to lay down his life for them. Now flip that. Jesus called us friend. I am a friend of God. No greater love can I show than to lay down my life for my friend Jesus. I will lay down my life for God.
True freedom is what we get when we choose to give it all away. A close and personal, intimate friendship with God can only be achieved by giving it all away. Give it all to God. Give Him your life, give him your dreams, give him your hopes. Give away the pain, give away the doubt, give away guilt, frustration, strife, envy, pride, self-loathing, shame, and greed. Give Him your time, your love, your friendship. Test him. While I know it was referring to tithes, I feel it also pertains to His Word, Malachi 3:10 tells you to test Him. Read the whole chapter, He is talking about the differences between believers and non-believers. Believers tithe and are blessed, TEST ME For I am God, and I change not.
I challenge you, as God the Father did in Malachi, Test Him... I dare you =)
Giving ourselves fully over to him means dying to self. Galatians 2:20 says, "I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me."(CEV). Galatians 5:24 states, "And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires."(CEV).
Another way to look at it is by reading John 15:13-15, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what the master does. But I have called you friends, for all things I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." Most people read this with just the understanding of loving one another being very important, or deeper, that as Jesus called us friend, that he was letting them know he was about to lay down his life for them. Now flip that. Jesus called us friend. I am a friend of God. No greater love can I show than to lay down my life for my friend Jesus. I will lay down my life for God.
True freedom is what we get when we choose to give it all away. A close and personal, intimate friendship with God can only be achieved by giving it all away. Give it all to God. Give Him your life, give him your dreams, give him your hopes. Give away the pain, give away the doubt, give away guilt, frustration, strife, envy, pride, self-loathing, shame, and greed. Give Him your time, your love, your friendship. Test him. While I know it was referring to tithes, I feel it also pertains to His Word, Malachi 3:10 tells you to test Him. Read the whole chapter, He is talking about the differences between believers and non-believers. Believers tithe and are blessed, TEST ME For I am God, and I change not.
I challenge you, as God the Father did in Malachi, Test Him... I dare you =)
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