I listened to a John Piper sermon this week. He said one thing that has resonated with me for days now. He said, "Jesus 'set His face like flint' to die."
Sure, we know this. But, then Piper asked, "Have you set your face like flint to die...daily?"
(here, you can hear me gulp)
I wake up with thoughts of how I will live out the day. Rarely (unfortunately) do I awake with the first thoughts, "Lord, help me to die today."
We have been studying the Lord's Prayer at church as study our way through the book of Matthew. This past week, one of our elders shared this poem by Charles Thompson...
You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer, And even once say 'I.'
You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer, And even once say 'My.'
Nor can you pray the Lord's Prayer, And not pray for another;
For when you ask for daily bread, You must include your brother.
For others are included In each and every plea –
From the beginning to the end of it, It does not once say 'Me.'
The Lord has been drilling this thought home...ME must not exist. Just HE.
God in His abundant grace gives all mothers a place to learn this dying to self. I Timothy 2:15a says, "But women will be saved through child bearing..." Oh, this has so many layers of truth. I cannot even begin to unpack it all here (and, yes, I know...this does not refer to our eternal salvation...but a way of daily death, which is sanctification).
I know no other role that requires the level of self sacrifice/death of self than that of a mother. The Lord uses childbirth/child rearing to sanctify us like no other tool on earth could sanctify. From the first moments of pregnancy, we give ourselves to our children. As I type this, my precious sister in law is enduring intense morning sickness in her first trimester. This is baby #6 for their family, and she is endeavoring to home school the other children all while dealing with debilitating illness each day. The most minimal tasks of motherhood now require her all. She is constantly giving for her children, both those who have been born and the sweet little one growing in her womb. (Pray for the Lord to give her endurance!)
I have recently watched a dear friend adopt her first baby. Even though she did not carry him in her womb, she gave and gave to him even before his birth.
How precious to see the self sacrifice of these two women, and the many others I get to watch as they mother their broods.
Childbirth and breastfeeding all require us to give of ourselves...literally. Late night feedings (bottle or breastfeeding) require us to die to self. This is just the beginning of long years of self sacrifice for the sake of our children.
YET....
in this very environment (motherhood) God has placed me in to graciously teach me to die to self, I find myself fighting this death...fighting His will...grasping for more of ME. After all, Oprah advises each woman to have some ME time.
Yet, I live in the service of the Almighty God, who requires nothing of ME but to die. No wonder I live in such conflict!!! I fight to live my own way, yet God says to let go of ME...
No (wo)man can serve two masters.
Here are some summary points from this week's sermon...
In the first three petitions (of the Lord's Prayer) we are to focus on God’s Name, God’s Kingdom, and God’s Will. His priorities should be ours. We should desire nothing more than for His Name to be hallowed, His Kingdom to come in fullness, and His Will to be done on earth. In our praying, we should cry with all of our hearts ‘to God be the glory!’
But that means that we no longer care about our name – our prestige, our reputation, our fame. We no longer care about our kingdom, our petty little kingdom that we try to control. (emphasis mine...ouch!) We no longer care about our will, about getting our way all the time.
Not our name or kingdom or will but His. He is the King and we must submit to His reign. He must increase and we must decrease.
The whole point of the Lord's Prayer? Die to your kingdom...live to His.
Today, I cry out, "Lord, not ME, but THEE!"
I set my face like flint...to die.
