We Define Ourselves by What We Share

Leaving the Grandstand World

Send us a text

Today you will hear two hymns narrated by me, embedded with emotionally satisfying instrumentals. I begin with, "Take the Name of Jesus with You," then share a chapter from my book, A Course in Christianity entitled, "We Define Ourselves by What We Share," then complete the episode with, "Softly and Tenderly". You will be blessed.
---------------------------------------------------------------
We either share love or we share fear. Love is part of the invisible nature of God. Fears are the stones that make this world. We are either enraptured by God's love or stoned by the world's fears.

What are you? A vehicle of God's healing love or a boulder rolling down a hill crushing everything in its path?

Sometimes we can't see ourselves. We're blind to our own faults. Our carnal self has a pretty clever way to deal with this. It builds a wall so that we can't see our fallibleness. It causes us to not see us as the cause of anything but only see others as the cause of everything. We are never at fault. Everyone else is. Then, to further propagate the lie, it attempts to correct everyone else. Depression, pain, further wall building, and very possibly a complete misconstrue of our fellow man results. Forgiveness erases distorted thinking. It puts us back on track to living a fruitful, faith-filled life. Remember, God forgives us when we forgive others. It is a cause and effect situation. Here is a summary: In order to have pain and discouragement (the effect) you need to be unforgiving and always correcting others (the cause). In order to be happy and genuinely loving (the effect) you need to be forgiving (the cause).

People with lots of money can hide behind their bodyguards. They can be so shielded that not one ray of sunlight can penetrate their fearful and dark selves that they refuse to acknowledge. This is exactly like living in a cave, forever "protected" by seclusion. Never having to interact with anyone, never having a chance to see the mirror that others are to us.

Come down from the cave and let the truth be revealed. Fire the bodyguards so you can see, at last, how the world has fooled you into believing a lie. Fire the bodyguards so, at last, you can interact with the people God places in your path, so that you can see the mirror they hold up to you and become humble and pliable and teachable.

How do you define yourself?

Another way to hide from who you are is to become very busy. Busyness keeps your mind occupied with trivial things that keep you from recognizing who you are. It is never the job that causes us to lose sight of ourselves, it is our failure to recognize our responsibility to choose wisely and honestly and not try to hide ourselves from ourselves.

Do not be afraid of the carnal self that is trying to define you. You can step back and observe its deceptive ways, inspired by Satan. The carnal self uses the mind God gave you to twist and distort reality. Withdraw your dependence on its dark view. It's actually very difficult to maintain a distorted view because, through Jesus’s example and His gift to us of the Holy Spirit, God's view is quite dominant. The truth always wins out against Satan's lies. Step back from your made-up self and let God's Son, Jesus, erase your delusions and set you on the right course.

You will soon know who you are, then. And soon after that you will take your place on the right side of Jesus, in Heaven and live eternally in glory.

Support the show

I'd love to hear from you! email: [e-mail]

Chương

1. We Define Ourselves by What We Share (00:00:00)

2. Take the Name of Jesus with You (00:00:11)

3. We Define Ourselves by What We Share (00:03:59)

4. Softly and Tenderly (00:09:04)