Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, And Follow Me

My dear friends, We live in a world of illusions and deception. We are all guilty of making excuses. A recent research by the Barnea Research Institute found that religious people are worse off than non religious people. Religious people lie more, struggle with relationships more, cheat in examinations more, are more selfish and are less likely to serve in difficult parts of the world than those who are not religious. In a world that is degenerating what have we become? The reason for all this is a world of greed... Grab all you can, because you live just once... You have got the right to do whatever you want.... Dont worry about others... etc. People today and sad to say even Christians have become very selfish. In view of this scenario as the world commemorates the death of Jesus and His resurrection, these words of Jesus throw a huge challenge: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23) ISV. Deny yourself: What does it mean to deny oneself? It literally means to give up or forgo or to lay down that which we think we generally have a right to. The common terminology we hear among the youth today is picked up from television. Most Christians today do not understand the biblical meaning of sacrifice. I urge you brothers and sisters to understand what the Lord teaches us through Paul. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) ISV. Take up your cross daily: The Lord Jesus directs us to take up our cross not once a year or once a month or not even once a week but daily! Our lives are full of challenges that we face on a day to day basis. If you are the type of person who has learnt to deny yourself and have often laid yourself down as a living sacrifice then it would be possible to take up your cross daily. To follow Jesus requires self-denial with complete dedication and willing obedience. Paul in his letters would often use phrases such as, like those condemned to die (1Cor.4:9), we had received the sentence of death.(2Cor.1:9), carry around in our body the death of Jesus, (2Cor.4:10) and the phrase always being given over to death for Jesus sake, (2Cor.4:11). All these phrases point to the cross which was an instrument of execution. So when Jesus tells us to carry our own cross daily, he is asking us to put to death the deeds of the flesh daily. Follow Jesus: The purpose of denying oneself and taking up the cross is finally to be able to follow Jesus and take our marching orders from Him. But this is only possible if we are able to deny ourselves. We need to die to ourselves on a daily basis then we will be able to live for Christ and follow Jesus where ever He may lead us. May the God of all grace bless us and enable us to die to ourselves and live for His glory! Your brother and friend in Christ, Altino Gomes.