“Born Crucified“, written by American-born Canadian educator and minister, L.E Maxwell (1895–1984), can probably be best summed up in this excerpt from chapter 3, The Secret of Victory Over Sin:
“If Christ died to rid me of sin, should I not rather die than retain it? But if we are not yet sick enough of sin to be rid of sin, we can only bow, and bleed, and hug our chains, until we are “sick unto death” of sinful self. We must be driven out of our unholy duplicity and made to own our double-mindedness.
“But God is good. Christ is a jealous lover. He wants every believer delivered. He will not shrink from reducing you to shame and despair if only you may be exposed to the power generated on your behalf at Calvary. You must learn by kindness or by terror. God’s sword of providence may be laid successively to every tic that binds you to self and sin. Wealth, and health, and friends, may fall before that sword. The inward fabric of your life will go to pieces. Your joy will depart. Smitten within and without, burned and peeled and blasted, you may finally, amidst the dreadful baptism, be driven from the sinful inconsistency of living for yourself. You may at length be disposed (blessed word–sweet compulsion) to yield self over to the victory and undoing of Calvary. Oh, the glorious power of the Cross! How can we longer hold out against it? All the power generated at Calvary is at your disposal.”
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Our Identity in Christ
I am no longer anxious about anything, for He, I know,
is able to carry out His will and His will is mine.
It makes no matter where He places me or how.
That is rather for Him to consider than for me;
for the easiest positions He must give me grace,
and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient.
So, if God places me in great perplexity,
must He not give me much guidance;
in circumstances of great pressure and trial,
much strength?
As to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible, or so difficult;
but the weight and strain are all gone.
His resources are mine, for He is mine.
All this springs from the believer’s oneness with Christ.
(Adapted from L.E. Maxwell, Born Crucified)
When prayed out, this excerpt might look like this:
Jesus,
I am no longer anxious about anything.
I know You are able to carry out Your will
and Your will is mine.
It makes no matter where You place me or how.
That is for You to consider more than for me.
For the easiest positions, You must give me grace,
and in the most difficult, Your grace is sufficient.
Father,
if You place me in great perplexity,
I know You also give me much guidance;
and in circumstances of great pressure or trial,
You give me much strength.
Holy Spirit,
As to work, mine has never been so plentiful, so responsible, or so difficult;
but the weight and strain are all gone.
Your resources are mine, for You are mine.
References
L. E. Maxwell. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._E._Maxwell.
