LAY IT DOWN: You cannot take up what you haven't laid down

Voice of Eden (episode 219)

Mon. 19th April 2021

𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗.𝟷𝟶.𝟷𝟽

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎: 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙸 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗. (𝙼𝚂𝙱)

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝,

Nothing goes for nothing. You cannot freely do some things until you have freely done some things. This principle is true and it applies to everything, every day and all the time. There are certain things a man will do that automatically qualifies him to gain certain rights or privileges. For example, if you pay for a house, the payment automatically qualifies you to possess the documents as the owner of the house. This principle is also true to life. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧.

I decided to study the life of Jesus, particularly because I have been so interested in His life and ministry. Through my ongoing study, I came to discover that Jesus didn't have a life of His own. Someone (the Father) told him what to do, what to say, and even where to go. His life was laid down before He arrived at the cross. 

𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬.

Too many people do not realize the pain in laying down something until you have to freely let go of something you love the most. It often feels like your heart is going to come out of your chest. That's where the fight is won.

Jesus has set the pace for us, now it is our turn to lay down our lives so we can take it back up again. But this time we would be laying down our lives for our family, children, friends, parents, neighbors, world, for what we believe and stand for, etc. We cannot see a better relationship, family, or world if we are not willing to lay down what we hold dearest to our heart - ourselves.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨?

One question you also need to answer is, where has God called you to? If you can answer that, then laying down everything at the altar does not mean losing everything, it means letting go so you can have it better and bigger. You cannot hold your life and follow Jesus. You cannot love the world and follow Jesus. Your sacrifice of love on the altar would be that which you love the most. That is the first test of a true disciple. 

What is God placing a demand on? What has He asked you to let go of? What is He asking you to lay down?

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. We will take it back up in a far better state than when we laid it down. 

#voe

#keepgrowing

#layitdown

#goodmorning