DaySpring Daily Word of Inspiration: Mark 8: 34-35 – Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Many Christians have heard this scripture before and it is a fundamental process of our Christian belief and conduct. Jesus gives us an example of what it takes to truly be considered one of his followers. What does that look like in modern times? There are two distinct characteristics that we need to employ; let’s deal with the first.
Do you really know what it means to deny yourself? When we hear deny ourselves it puts us in the mindset of restraint, to have a desire but never act upon it. We may liken it to being on a diet and denying ourselves the pleasures we once over indulged in. In regards to Jesus’ words, to deny ourselves would be put into the same light but with a heavier meaning. When you’re on a diet, you can easily make the claim that “oh, a little bit won’t hurt” but with God a little bit could mean a whole lot and show us where our hearts are or whether we’re being obedient to his teachings. Jesus’ desire is that we deny ourselves… everything that makes you who people have come to know, the conduct we once had or displayed, the friends we would keep, places we would go, how we carried ourselves and what was important to us; he wants us to deny ourselves of being that person any longer. To truly look like Jesus or an example or reflection of Him, there can’t be all of you in the mirror. If that’s the case, then you are the only person people will ever see. Jesus wants people to see his very reflection when they look at your life. They need to know that there is something different about you. They should see a light coming from you that they can’t explain but is attracting them to you. No one sees a person on a diet whose not lost weight and asks them for advice on how to get in shape. In the same way, no one will ever ask you about Christ (nor will you be able to present him to anyone) if you don’t look like you’re in good spiritual shape. The other half of that is that you have to carry the weight of that cross daily! Let me see if I can explain….. People who know you know exactly who you were without Christ. Your cross (your heavy burden of sinful acts you’ve committed before people) is an everyday reminder of who you are! Now that sounds bad but hear me out. The burden of admitting who you are before others is a hard pill to swallow, however this is your cross to bear. As you begin to deny your nature inclinations to be your old self, you will have to shoulder the burdens of your sinful past and its effects. Nevertheless, you continue to understand who you are without Christ but deny yourself of being that person because of who you are now with Christ. Just as it is hard or a heavy concept to go against your natural self (like the weight of a cross), as you deny those urges, you will show others the Jesus living in you. Jesus denied himself for us and bore the cross for our sins…. In the same way, we are to follow his example of not doing what we want to do, but what God wants us to do.
The second characteristic points us to how to save our lives. These two characteristics go hand in hand because if you deny yourself of whom you are and used to be so that you may follow Christ, it will lead you to eternal life with Christ. So how do you lose your life? It answer is simple. We lose our life by trying our hardest to preserve life while here on Earth. We work hard at everything else (getting esteem, stature, money, fame, the big house, the nice car, being physically fit, and etc.) but never have or make time for God. What it essentially means is that we desire to have life to the full now (for our 60-90 years on Earth) and forfeit life to the full for our eternity. Jesus says however, that if you lose your life for me and the gospel; meaning you deny yourself how you want to live, what you want to do with your life and what you make important in your life (for your 60-90 years on Earth) and live as I have taught and commanded you in all aspects, and because of your obedience, you will live life to the fullest….FOREVER! What an amazing trade off! What better promise is there than that?
Today we pray that you come to the realization that we will all pass away; however there is a second life that will be lived out. Our time on this planet is at best a good 80 something years (if God allows) but our next life will be an eternity. In comparison, the time differential is substantial! The question is how do you want to spend each of the times that are and will be given? Do you wish to live high on the hog now for your 70-80 years and then be eternally separated from God or do you want to live a life of denying your wants daily and sacrificing to do what God wants for 70-80 years and then live in bliss with God forever? You have the choice; we pray you make the right one! If you’re out there now and you don’t know how to make that crucial decision, I implore you to visit us this evening at bible study and see if you can’t begin your journey doing things Christ way today! We hope to see you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ name, AMEN!