The Power of One Christlike LIfe by Francis Frangipane

      "We cannot become Christlike without experiencing woundedness.  You see, even after we come to Christ, we carry encoded within us preset limits concerning how far we will go for love, and how much we are willing to suffer for redemption.  The wounding exposes those human boundaries and reveals what we lack of His nature.

    The path narrows as we seek true transformation.  Indeed, many Christians fall short of Christ’s stature because they have been hurt and offended by people.  They leave churches discouraged, vowing never again to serve or lead or contribute because when they offered themselves, their gift was marred by unloving people.  To be struck or rejected in the administration of mercy can become a great offense to us, especially as we are waiting for, and even expecting, a reward for our good efforts.

    Yet wounding is inevitable if we are following Christ.  Jesus was both “marred” (Is. 52;14)  and “wounded” (Zech. 13J, and if we are sincere in our pursuit of His nature, we will suffer as well.  How else will love be perfected?

     Let us beware.  We either become Christlike and forgive, or we enter a spiritual time warp where we abide continually in the memory of our wounding.  Like a systemic disease, the hurtful memories destroy every aspect of our reality.  In truth, apart from God, the wounding that life inflicts is incurable.  God has decreed that only Christ in us can survive."

                           p. 132   The Power of One Christlike Life by Francis Frangipane