Posted by
jgrantswankjr on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 11:13:47 AM
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J. Grant Swank, Jr.
". . .every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." John l5:l2
When
believers as branches continue to take in the daily life flow from
trunk Jesus, then they bring forth fruitage to the Father's pleasing.
The
more believers remain in close communication with Jesus, the more they
are "purged." That is, they are refined in the way; they are matured in
matters spiritual; they are tutored in the finer detail of the cross
way.
Purging is not always pleasant. It is to bring forth a pleasant result; but the purging itself will be painful.
This
is especially the case when purging focuses upon the egocentricity
which forever seeks to return as center piece to the believers' very
existence.
Jesus is a jealous God. He will not tolerate the
human conceit to sit upon His throne. He is Lord God. The throne of the
believer's inner room must be reserved only for the eternal royalty.
Therefore, when Lord God Jesus insists that pride removes itself from
the pivotal position, such will bring its own pain.
That
pain will cause the sensitive soul to wince, even at times to cry out
in excruciating agony. In that reaction is the telling of what choice
believer will then make. Will believer give in to pride or oust pride
on the spot? The former is extremely hurtful to King Jesus. The latter
is most reassuring to King Jesus.
And so the purging must
continue for the good of the branches, also for the producing of holy
fruitage. In all situations, Father must be pleased. There is nothing
which can detract from blessing Father God.
Consequently, indwelling Spirit of Jesus,
having been true to Father's will while on earth, will continue to be
true to Father's goal in believer's soul. There can be no compromise
with deity. He must be true to His own integrity. His holy character
demands it.
Therefore,
cross carrier realizes from the start that when Jesus instructs to deny
self-absorption, such commission is operative till the close of earthly
sojourn. There can be no letting up for any reason. Self-surrender must
be daily discipline in order to remain Christian.
In that
course, cross bearer understands that on-going, in-depth purging will
take place. Sometimes it will be extremely intense in order to see
through the deeper works of purification.
When Paul wrote
that he sought to live out Christ, he was confessing to coming under
the personal purging. He was undergoing surgery of the human spirit.
Paul, being particularly headstrong, ambitious, intelligent, and
persistent, must have gone under the divine knife on numerous occasions
in order to witness to the sanctification enjoyed. Through it all, Paul
gave thanks to heaven for seeing through the severe work.
So it is with
the cross carrier. The cross is meant to cut deeply, completing its
surgery in order to lead to resurrection presence. It is the way of
earth's travels when such are intersected by heavenly parenting. Father
knows that we grace children must be governed in such a way of
purification that nothing can deter the purging. Purging yields
increased fruit, the most precious being the total obedience to the
indwelling Christ King.
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