Die to Gain Life

I would like to start this posting with an apology. I have been without computer access for an extended period of time, but now that I am back to normal life, I intend to update regularly. The posts will be short, typically, and hopefully insightful and encouraging (i.e. things I have read in scripture and have personally been encouraged by.) For those of you who did not go to Caswell on the retreat last weekend, you missed out. It was a real blessing, refreshing and challenging. Good fellowship and good lessons from Dave out of the Bible.
I say all of that to say this: God demands our lives. We spoke this weekend about unity, and all of the ways that we need to be unified as a Body and applicable ways to seek unity. We also spoke about the fact that it is not easy. Unity is something you must strive for, work at, and truly desire. And normal people, fleshly people, do not desire unity. We do not wake up in the morning naturally and love our neighbor or our brother/sister more than we love ourselves. We do not hunger and thirst for righteousness on our own accord or by our own will. These are things that can only be obtained by the Spirit of God dwelling within us. It is only by crucifying our own flesh, and killing our personal wills and desires, that we can even begin to strive for unity.
I was really thinking about all of those things and this past weekend when I read this passage this past week: John 12: 24-26

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

I cannot even begin to explain how incredibly unnatural this is... but we have so much going on for us that we could praise God for all eternity for these alone (and then to throw in all of His Glory, and His creation, and His will, and who He is...WOW). God the Father has elected us and given us sight that we can see Him for who He is, God the Son has died on the cross to save us, and has conquered Death and RISEN (1...2...3...) Victoriously!, God the Son has also lived a perfect life and left behind a ministry in the Church so that we can rejoice and encourage one another on a daily basis, God the Spirit indwells us, giving us assurance of hope, wisdom, and prays on our behalf because we do not always know how to pray as we ought, and to top all of this off, God has given us His Word, the Bible, so that we may know Him more deeply, and understand Him better, that we might Love Him and Serve Him more appropriately. How Great is Our God!
-Bubba