TUESDAY October 17, 2023
Deny Yourself
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24
The Apostle Paul wrote more about the Cross in his epistles than any other disciple of Christ. The Cross is symbolic to our Christian lives. It is the instrument of death––death to self! We can only pick up our cross if we daily deny ourselves. How do we do this? We are to be dead to sin:
...knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him [Jesus Christ], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ... reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:6:11).
When you deny yourself, then you can pick up your cross. As you take up your cross, the Lord can use your life to the fullest. He desires that you bring Him honor as you serve Him.
When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples. “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” The people had speculated that He might be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet. Then He asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). Peter received a supernatural revelation from Jesus’ Father. God had shown Peter who Christ was.
From this point forward, Jesus developed the doctrine of the Cross. Even though He knew Peter was going to fail, just like we fail, He wanted His disciples to understand that God’s grace was not cheap grace. The grace of God is very valuable––it was paid for by the blood of Jesus, on the Cross.
As a follower of Christ, understand the tremendous cost of your salvation. When you make plans for your life, think about the Cross of Christ. You need to pick up your cross and follow the One who gave His life for you!
If our life is not a course of humility, self-denial, renunciation of the world, poverty of spirit, and heavenly affection, we do not live the lives of Christians.
~William Law~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
