October 6 ~

(See September 30 for a similar version of this selection)

Jesus said ... "If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must say 'No' to self, put his cross on his shoulders, and keep on following me" ... you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God ... Christ, who is our life ... you have laid aside the old self ... and have put on the new self ... Put on therefore ... bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another ... put on the Lord Jesus Christ ...
Matt.16:24 (Wil); Col.3:3,4,9,10 (NAS); 3:12,13 (KJV); Rom.13:14 NAS)

Brash?* Feisty?** -- Not acceptable for me?
Such are my very essence -- what I be!

Child, what of meekness and humility?
Wouldst thou have Christ or Self show forth through thee?

But shouldn't I to mine own Self be true?

'Tis not at all what thou've been told to do!
Thy Self thou'rt to deny, reject, eschew,
pick up thy cross and follow Me unto
the place-of-suffering at Calvary
and there be twice conformed that all might see
thy Lord in thee, which is thy victory!
-- conformed unto His death: Self crucified;
-- conformed unto His image: Christ inside
and showing forth as thou in Him abide.

____________________

... conformed to His death ... I have been crucified with Christ, and I myself no longer live, but Christ is living in me; the life I now live as a mortal man I live by faith in the Son of God ... I live; yet not I, but Christ ... conformed to the image of His (God's) Son ... "Abide in Me, and I in you ... for apart from Me you can do nothing" ... my present life is not that of the old "I," but the living Christ within me ... And now, little children, abide in him ...
Phil.3:10 (NAS) (our italics); Gal.2:20 (Wil,KJV); Rom.8:29 (NAS) (our italics); Jn.15:4,5 (NAS); Gal.2:20 (JBP); 1 Jn.2:28 (KJV).

*Brash — In the sense of being impetuous, rash, uninhibitedly energetic; lacking restraint;
aggressively self-assertive; impudent (Webster's).
**Feisty — In the sense of being touchy and quarrelsome; full of nervous energy (Webster's).

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