Die To Self!

697 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 23:6 But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands. 7 But the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place." David has just talked about his own imperfections and how in spite of them he remains in the covenant grace of God. And so it is for you and I and all others who exercise their faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. We acknowledge our imperfections and put them under the blood of Jesus, and then try again. But the sons of rebellion are not like that. Because of the hardness of their hearts they continue to reject the nail scarred hands of Jesus. The hands that long to embrace them, heal them, and forgive them, are kept away by the sharpness of their unbelieving hearts. Unless they repent their end is not pretty. For Jesus Himself foretold of their end in Mt 13:41,42, “"The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Thorns are interesting. They are given to plants as a way to keep predators away. They are mentioned as part of the curse of sin that Adam brought into the world in Ge 3:18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,” Original sin brought thorns into play and they are a natural outgrowth of our flesh which fights against God seeking to preserve its selfish self. But God using the iron tool of the Law seeks to nullify the thorns, and break down our defenses. This breakdown makes way for the Gospel which throws the old man into the fire and brings forth the new man in Christ. Here's the thing to remember. We have free will and can resist this loving crushing act of God, but one way or the other the thorns need to go. We must reach a point of no longer pushing God away but allowing Him to embrace us with the hands of Jesus, for if the thorns aren't dealt with in this life they surely will be dealt with in the next.