This book, has been a divine intervention in my life. It has made me see that the gospel is not of utmost importance in my life. It has made me see that I don't have discipleship down to a T. It has made me see that I still have massive attitude problems, that I'm not as mature of a discple as I thought. It has been humbling me, from page 1. It has made me seek Christ more. It has made me realize that I am still learning, and that to learn is a great thing that I will only continue to do. It has made me see that I have a ways to grow, and I want to grow. I want to learn. I want to have the gospel at the forefront of my thoughts and my (inter)actions. I want to grow in maturity in Christ. Christ truly is enough in my life, and I am truly content in Him and that comes through belief and experiencing life and suffering. And in the midst of suffering, only to be more like Christ, there is immense joy, and rejoicing, because I trust God, and that can grow!
All of this is a big deal to me. And it's a big deal, because a couple months ago, I felt like giving this all up...throwing in the towel...but I learned that I love Christ more than I thought, and I could never turn Him down, or walk away, and even though I still may not feel like myself, my heart is His, my life is His, and I am content, and even happy! Suffering is a part of life, anything we go through, Jesus truly is greater, and enough, and my prayer is that all who read this, all who are apart of the bride, and all those who don't even know Christ yet, will come to truly know and believe that Christ is enough and greater and to be content in Him.
So i want to finish this blog post with some quotes from this book that has been so encouraging to me. There's so many, so it might be long, but its worth it. Also, I now recommend everyone to read this book along with the book of Philippians. Philippians is my favorite book of the Bible, and now this book (to live is Christ, to die is gain) is my favorite book (convenient that its on the book of Philippians!). I hope that some of these quotes will challenge you, convict you, and encourage you. :) Peace my brothers and sisters. You may never know the amount of love I have in the depths of my heart for you all, but I hope and pray some day you understand and know!
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"...the gospel defies race, defies class, defies status, and even defies aptitude."
"When he commands others to live in a 'worthy' way, he means we should live in such a way that shows what we believe is of supreme worth."
"When everything considered valuable in life is seen to be nothing in comparison to the glory of Christ, you learn rather well that Christ alone is worth living for. Christ alone is worthy of an entire life's affections and devotions."
"...we show (the gospel) is supremely valuable to us when we deny ourselves and take up our crosses to be a blessing to the people who the gospel is calling us to."
"...the gospel is commended when we can admit we aren't perfect, even after we're saved."
"Living a life worthy of the gospel does not mean pretending to be perfect. Instead, it means having the humility to think of others as better than ourselves. It means putting self-concern aside to work together, realizing that we are all still in process."
"Fearless faith results from holding on to Christ as our treasure."
"If a mature Christian life, or a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is a life where you are living deeply with others, regardless of external differences, if you strive for a deeper faith and grow in your faith together, pressing into Christ together, chasing Him together, and if it is fearlessness in faith...how are you doing?"
"...if the gospel is true, your life should look like it's true. If you have been united with Jesus, this unity should be exemplified in your lives."
"...everytime we think of ourselves as better than others or look only to our own interests, we are essentially saying, 'I am god.'"
"The godly fear that humbles us and receives mercy does not keep us in a nervous or timid state."
"Are you using God to get something from Him? Or is God Himself the goal of your striving?"
"The foundation, the motivation of a life of humility, is the example of Jesus Christ's humble life and sacrificial death on the cross."
"Always remember the gospel, so you won't forget that God will not expect something of you that He won't both empower you to obey and forgive you for not obeying."
"Nobody stumbles into godliness, ever."
"A mark of mature Christianity is discipleship-making disciples and being discipled."
"It's our responsibility to find people we can disciple, and it's our responsibility to be discipled."
"Mature believers in Christ rejoice in the Lord always."
"If our theology does not drive us to worship God in Christ, it is pointless."
"We become like Jesus in His suffering by sharing in His suffering through our own suffering."
"If we are busy rejoicing, we won't have time to be anxious."
"Fear is legitimate for the vulnerable, and pain is a natural consequence of being mortal. But worry is a choice made in distrust."
"Love is not simply something that we feel. It encompasses our affections, yes. It gets expresse in emotiona ways, yes. But the Bible tells us that real love 'rejoices with the truth' (1 Corinth 13:6). I assume from Ephesians 4:15 that it's possible to speak the truth from a lack of love, and by extension, that it's possible to express love from a place of ignorance and even falsehood. But mature, godly love is a truthful, orthodox, doctrinal love. It brings the thinking and feeling together..."
"The fact that he has to tell us to practice-to strain, to press, to 'work out'- tells us again that this stuff doesn't happen naturally."
"contentment means being satisfied not with the gift but with the Giver."
"The message of Philippians is that life is lived for Him, to Him, through Him, with Him, about Him, and in Him."
...
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"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8
