I die daily!

33+ years and I have talked to my wife on how I listen to a teacher for a season and find him repeating himself. Then a new teacher comes a long and I spend another season listening and learning and again find he is repeating himself.


I've wonder why many times.



However, I have started to wonder if not the mountain I had climbed by His grace not been the base of the next one.

Meaning. Many times I grew and reached a peak, a point high up a mountain where the Word is flowing, I hear it ringing within and its like life at its finest.

Yet. I look about and realize the mountains around me are higher up and reach further in to the kingdom than mine.

As I realize this I look back to the mountain grace and truth brought me up to see again the valley of the shadow of death.

Many times my mind fails me and I struggle with this shadow and I find it so over powering I wanting nothing more than to hide in its shadow for I am so overwhelmed with self.

Did Paul experience this when he wrote by grace and truth

“…I die daily.” (1 Corinthians 15:31)

What! Paul had to die daily to himself? How? Why?

He moved the kingdom of darkness so far from the Church by the grace and truth of God and yet he had to die daily.



The core of my mind starts to wonder at this Paul and the One he served.

Why did the Apostle Paul have to die daily, and what am I missing in this Word of life.
?

Than comes the Word of life and the light of truth shines in my mind to let my heart know the way of life is why He came.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9



The Apostle Paul did not have to die to his flesh daily nor did he have to die to himself daily.

What he died to was the glory God took him to.


But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18



Yes.

That glory that Paul was beholding brought about death in him so that a greater degree of glory would be seen.

 For mankind can not live off stale bread anymore than a child of God live with the glory of past day.

For tomorrow glory will reflect in a greater way the glory of its day.

Daily Paul was dying to the glory he beheld to see his image change to the glory of Him!



Progressive glory some will call it or maturing in Christ as Paul would call it …. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, 



unto a perfect man,

unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: …. Ephesians 4:11-13

I see why the valley of the shadow of death is before me when upon a mountain I was. 

God is removing everything about ME and replacing it with the very image of Him!


The Apostle Paul understood this and he also knew that it was necessary to die to that former glory so that the greater glory could come forth in him.

YES!

The painful cycle of ever dying to the old and coming alive to the new.

See as long as we are alive to one glory, the greater glory cannot take its place!

I now face the shadow of death with the Word of life!

For behind that shadow is but the Light of life that wants nothing more than to have His life consuming me.

“…..weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. Malachi 4:2

So as Paul I too understand what it means to die daily and as the old is replaced with the new I am assured His Word abides within ever change me to be as Him.