On my off day (Fridays), I like to spend some good quality time with God and catch up on the word. Today isn't any different. Using Our Daily Bread as a starting point, it directed me to Luke 9:18-27.
Verses 23 & 24 really stuck out to me as being a bold request, like a take-it-or-leave-it request. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
Let's break these verses down:
First, I looked up the word 'DENY' in Merriam-Webster dictionary online and this is what I found:
Definition of DENY
1
: to declare untrue <deny an allegation>
2
: to refuse to admit or acknowledge : disavow <denyresponsibility>
3
a : to give a negative answer to <denying the petitioners>
b : to refuse to grant <deny a request>
c : to restrain (oneself) from gratification of desires
4
archaic : decline
5
: to refuse to accept the existence, truth, or validity of
(Bolded and enlarged by me for emphasis)
The 3rd definition seems to fit well with the verse, but it was the 5th definition that made me unsettled. What if we were to refuse to accept the existence of ourselves and only acknowledged the Jesus in us? I ran this through my brain a bit more and couldn't quite justify the complete denying of myself as it would play out in the 5th definition. It's an extreme response to the things of this world. A hot-or-cold decision, a complete denial.
I then came back to the 3rd definition, part c. "To restrain (oneself) from gratification of desires." Does that seem to work better in the verse? I refuse myself of the things I want, instead say 'yes' to the things of God. No to me, yes to God. No to me, yes to God.
No to laziness, yes to faithfulness
No to apathy, yes to compassion
No to limited, yes to limitless
No to inappropriate tv/movies/books/media, yes to uplifting, encouraging, fulfilling things.
No to "I can't", yes to "He can"
No to me, myself and I, yes to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
No to "I can do better", yes to "Help me to do better"
No to using my talents and gifts for me, yes to using my talents and gifts for Him, for His people and for the world.
Wow. That took a lot of deep digging. There are many more things that I should say no to and many more things that I will say yes to. By God's grace, this week will be better because I am saying 'Yes' to God every chance I get. 'Yes' to His love in me, 'yes' to His power in me, 'yes' to His direction for my life; yes to Christ.
"...If anyone would come after me [Christ], he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Blessings.
