Upside Down Crosses

Are you willing? Are you ready? Will you yield?

Living a lifestyle of worship… Worship is a life bent for Him, being bridled by Him, giving up everything for Him. Mary of Bethany displayed an act of worship when she poured out a year’s wages of perfume upon Jesus. What is your alabaster box of ointment? What have you been putting your confidence in, or holding onto? It needs to be poured out. True worship is laying down all you are, pouring out all you have, giving up all that hinders your soul from gaining more of Jesus. Worship is breaking open the perfumed spikenard of your life and body and reverently pouring it on the head and feet of your fair and beloved King. Worship is the act of proclaiming in attitude, in word, in song, in deed, and in body that the glory of God is your singular heart’s desire and to see Him exalted and adored is the driving passion of your life. It’s beholding Him, truly seeing Him in His splendor. Once you see His majesty, worship is the natural outflow. We need Him to open our eyes. We’re fully dependent upon Him. It’s trembling with genuine reverence, lowering yourself in His presence, and exalting His name above all. It’s denying self, getting “you” out of the way so He can increase and be seen through you. I want my life to be explained only in terms of Jesus. Worship is demonstrating true affection, unashamedly sharing the Gospel. It’s gladly suffering, rejoicing in the exchange. Knowing that we can find comfort in the midst of suffering because He gives us grace, enabling power, to overcome and rise above.

We must forsake all that Christ might be all in all.

1.     Forsake your individuality, embrace an identity in Christ. (Are you willing to let go of your “style” if God asks you to and let Christ form you into His image? Are you willing to point others to Christ and not to yourself?)

2.     Forsake your earthly course, embrace His control. (Are you willing to lay down all your dreams before Him on the alter? Let go of your career, college plans, family, etc?)

3.     Forsake earthly comforts, embrace His comfort. (If God calls you to an undeveloped nation, are you willing to embrace it and let go of your daily comforts? Are you willing to go somewhere where you won’t have clean water, hot showers, ideal food, electricity, etc?)

4.     Forsake reputation, embrace identification with Him. (Are you willing to forgo all human applause, praise, and encouragement? Are you willing to give this up if Christ will be glorified through it?)

5.     Forsake earthly friendships, embrace intimacy with the Most High. (If He calls you somewhere where you will never see your friends or family again on earth, are you willing to go?)

6.     Forsake earthly family, embrace His adoption as sons and daughters. (Are you ready to let go of your dependence on your family and only find dependence in Christ?)

7.     Forsake freedom of body, embrace the Intercessor’s call. (Are you willing to be locked up in a prison cell for standing for Christ?)

8.     Forsake health of body, embrace the power of suffering. (Will you still praise Him amidst sickness, pain, and suffering?)

9.     Forsake life, embrace the martyr’s crown. (Are you ready to die for the sake of the Gospel? Will you give up your life to wipe the spit from the face of Jesus? Will you follow Him to the very end?)

10.  Forsake the easiest path to death, embrace the glory of God Almighty. (Are you willing to die a harder death if it brings Christ more glory?)

“Jerome says (of the Apostle Peter) that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.” (The Martyrdom of Peter: Fox’s Book of Martyrs). This is worship. Reverence. Sacrifice. A greater testimony.

Bring glory to His name today. Let God prepare you one step at a time. To have what it takes to die a martyrs death you must live a martyrs life, which consists of a thousand daily deaths. “It’s easy to talk of leaving all for Christ, but when it comes to the proof – it’s only as we stand “complete in Him” we can go through with it.” – Hudson Taylor.

(content from message of www.ellerslie.com)