Whenever we speak of accomplishments we tell of things such as our works, goals, and victories, but not our deaths.

Yet Moses and Elijah saw the death of Jesus as an “accomplishment”.

Why?

Because it was the Fathers will for Jesus.

His death on the cross for our sins was the central purpose of His life mission.

So by submitting to crucifixion, unfair, cruel, and as painful as it was, Jesus “accomplished” the last and most demanding part of His Fathers will.

 

That two of Israel’s greatest prophets gushed about Jesus death--not His heavenly teachings, powerful preaching, astounding deliverances, and compassionate healings----confirms that His death, not His ministry, was His greatest accomplishment.

As such our greatest earthly accomplishment will not be our visible religious works, ministries, or good deeds, but our “decease”.

It will not be accomplished at Jerusalem nor on a cruel wooden cross.

Ours will be a spiritual death.

This glorious decease, for which heaven waits and of which it speaks, is our full surrender of sin and self -will.

First we must die to our personal sins.

We do so by surrendering the secret, besetting sinful attitudes, emotions, and habits we’ve stubbornly held, because we now see that they grieve Jesus and keep us from living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit daily.

Secondly, whenever Gods desires and our clash, we must die to self-will, not to be saved but to finish Gods plan for our lives.

When our strong personal desires are awakened in divinely arranged tests, yet we realize that, for whatever reason, they’re not Gods will for us, we “die” by willingly setting them aside to pursue what God wants.

Christ showed us how to do this.

When His and His Fathers will conflicted, He first told His Father exactly what He wanted; “Father…remove this cup from me” (Luke 22:42).

Then He put aside His preferences to pursue His Fathers preference; “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done”.

Only after He emptied His soul of His self-will, the Father immediately gave Him overcoming grace: There appearedan angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (v. 23)

The Father does the same for us today.

Every time we yield to His will and empty our soul of our self-will, He gives us all the grace we need to live not only contentedly but also joyfully.

And His life flows not only into but also through us to minister to desolate, desperate, and despairing people on every side.

We see this in the “deceases” accomplished by the apostles Paul and John.

When Paul set aside his preference for tranquility and accepted his troublemaking “thorn in the flesh” as part of Gods wise plan, God was then able to give Paul the grace to bear it, and through him, more visions and revelations for the church.

When John put aside his desire to continue ministering and fellowshipping in the churches of Asia and worshipfully accepted his cruelly unjust banishment to the Isle of Patmos, God gave him new spiritual power, and through him, the new and powerful Book of Revelation for the church.

In the same way, whatever religious works, goals, and victories you accomplish in this life for the King and kingdom, none will be as important as your willing, worshipful death to sin and self will.

Have you accomplished this “decease”, yet?

If not hurry up! Fully die to all of the things that hold you back

Tell Him, “Lord this is what I prefer, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.”

Then and only then can Christ fully live in you, and through you, give the fullness of life to His spiritually needy people daily.

Fully, dying, fully living, fully giving.