Many of us have been successful at self denial to one degree or another. Some have lost weight and then maintained the weight loss. That takes self denial. Look at the parking lot of the local gym and the cars in the lot are evidence of individuals who are working out or taking a class when they could be doing something else. That is self denial. Athletes at all levels give up time when they could be doing other things to practice. Musicians spend hours in rehearsal. Good parents will put their personal desires aside so that their children can have their needs met. All of the above are examples of self denial.
When Jesus said we must deny ourselves to follow him, we have the tendency to say, “I got this one.” And we would be accurate to a degree. But our creator knows us better than we know ourselves (Psalm 139) and so Jesus adds a second element to self denial that ups the ante when he says “…and take up his cross daily…” (Luke 9:23). The image here is quite shocking when we look at it through 1st Century eyes.
In our culture we use the phrase to mean a burden that we bear and it more or less is designed to glorify the one using the phrase. That is not even close to the image one of those listening to Jesus would have had in mind. It was not uncommon in that time to see a condemned criminal carrying his cross beam to his execution. Everyone knew that he was going out to die. It was a one way trip. This is the mental image Jesus is burning into the conscious of his hearers. To follow him means that one must daily carry his own “cross beam” out and die to self. This takes self denial to a new level. There is no turning back.
These are not easy words to digest for any of us. Our human nature rails against these words. Our culture is like a raging river flowing against these words. But Christ calls for us to live radically different than the siren call of culture. Following Jesus means that every day, we each make the choice to put Jesus first in all that we do. I would suggest that the only way that this can happen with any measure of success is to invite the Holy Spirit to fill us, or more clearly, to control us each day (Ephesians 4:15-18).
What does it look to live a life of putting Christ first? On the surface some things will be the same. One will still need to go to work or school and do their best. One will still need to obey authority figures from parents to teachers to employers to law enforcement. One will still need to care for the basic necessities of life. One will still need corporate worship and service and one will still need to enjoy leisure time.
However a person who is dying to herself will be respectful of those around her because that is what Jesus would do. The person who is dying to himself will not spend time worrying about his retirement fund. The person who is dying to herself will find ways to be generous to others. The person who is dying to himself will understand that any skill, ability, knowledge or talent he has is from God and God alone, there are no self-made people in the kingdom of God. It bears repeating: dying to one’s self means striving to put Jesus Christ first in every endeavor, every thought, and every action. Know this, not a single person does it perfectly, it is a journey. Following Christ is a radical choice to live in the culture and yet differently from the culture every single day.
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