Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? (Matthew 16:24-26, NLT)
I cherish knowledge and learning. I love tinkering, discovery, and find a simple joy in learning something new that makes me say, "Ah, I get it now!" I get a little smirk on my face, my head tilts slightly to the side and I nod my head a few times.
But over the past week, God has placed a calling on my heart to understand more about self-denial. Now understand, as a self-proclaimed, life-long learner I am adamant about being completely, brutally honest about myself. I believe the only way to learn - to improve - is to face myself and logically disarm my emotional reactions.
So when I hear the phrase, self-denial, I'm instantly thinking, "I have to lie to myself?" That goes against everything I believe in - to my very core. But as I pray and meditate on this phrase - I begin to understand it is not about fooling myself; it is about NOT fooling myself any longer.
Huh?
When Jesus asked His disciples to put aside their selfish ways, He asked them to throw away what was safe. He asked them to show ultimate trust in Him. This theme is repeated time and again in the Word, and Jesus exemplified this as the Living Word.
So self-denial tells me to put aside worry, to put aside pride, to put aside those things that shackle me from my calling in His kingdom. Now I must pick-up my cross, the cross He calls to me to carry.
For so long, I not only doubted but was fearful of what faith might mean. Who am I kidding, I still fear the full weight of what my cross might bring. But I am actively seeking to carry it now, much like training for a marathon, I suppose.
But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Isn't it odd how the smallest shifts in perspective can be the most meaningful? While I could always intellectualize this passage, I certainly didn't internalize it. Now my daily prayer is for Him to grant me the wisdom and will to stay my own hand, resist the temptation to control the circumstance, and truly seek how I might allow Him to take the glory from me!
Isn't it odd how the smallest shifts in perspective can bring you peace?
Seeking the Son is a website dedicated to the search for a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Ken is also the founder of ChangeForge, a website focusing on the shifting paradigms of business and technology. To discover all of the places you can connect with Ken, please connect with him here.
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