Jesus told His disciples, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23 NKJV)
Does this mean we are to carry a cross around? (Although
there is a man who did this as a ministry years ago.)
I have heard some people express that certain pains or
tragedies was their cross to bear. But Jesus wasn’t talking about life’s
circumstances being a cross that was put upon us.
Jesus died on a cross in a selfless sacrifice to save
sinners. He put aside His own needs and wants for the good of the whole world.
Innocence killed because of the guilt of others.
His example is for us to deny ourselves for the good of
others too.
Dying to self is taking up our cross and following Him. When
we take up our cross, we identify with what Christ did. We humble ourselves to
accept the cost that comes with being a disciple.
Denying ourselves doesn’t mean we don’t obtain some of the
things we want. Psalm 37:4 tells us, Delight
yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Dying to self can’t be attained by behavior
modification. Denying self means
crucifying the fleshly way of thinking. To put away selfish behavior, angry
responses, unforgiveness, and bitterness.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit,
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each
of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of
others. (Philippians 2:3-4 NKJV)
Our soulish realm is where we fail because our minds get in
the way.
Only when we realize how much God loves us will we be able
to let the Spirit of God shine through. Our behavior will exhibit the Holy
Spirit’s fruit to other people (1 John 4:19).
Spiritual characteristics flow through the soul to create
action. If our soul is contaminated with doubt and hurt, God’s spirit doesn’t
shine. He is still there but His fruit is hidden.
When I was a child, my grandparents lived in a house out in
the country that had a well. A bucket was tied to a rope on a post at the top
and if you wanted water, you had to lower the bucket, scoop the water, then haul
the bucket back to the surface.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of
his heart will flow rivers of living water. (John
7:38)
The same is true with our inner being. We lower the bucket
by digging into the Word and scooping that living water into our minds to drink
so we can exhibit the gift that has already been given to us. The water in my
grandparent’s well was always there, but if we wanted some, a person had to
lower the bucket and get it.
There are many times I have let the flesh fly and the fruit
remained in the bowl of my spirit (just ask my husband). But I am learning and
as I study and pray, I am reminded more often of how the response that wants to
come out is not one that would be godly actions.
Dying to self is not a one-time event. This action
develops through daily fellowship with our Father. Abiding in the vine of
Christ. This is where the strength comes from to control the emotional
responses our flesh wants to express.
And of course, Jesus is the ultimate example. His entire
ministry focused on fulfilling God’s will and ministering to people at the
expense of His own comfort and safety. When dying on the cross, He still
thought of others.
He asked God to forgive those who stood at the foot of the
cross and mocked Him (Luke 23:34). He
thought of His mother and gave her care over to John (Luke 19:26-27).
Our actions and words will be dominated by whatever we
focus on. When our priority is on God and not ourselves, His character will
come out. This isn’t supposed to be something that takes effort because our
efforts can’t make anything happen. He flows when we open the gate.
What did Jesus mean when He said to deny ourselves? Let the
Holy Spirit have control.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5)
Join the conversation and share your thoughts about what
denying self means to you.
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