Deny Yourself

“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” —Jesus 

(Luke 9:23)

This verse is among the many 'hard sayings' of Jesus.

A lot of people try to explain away a hard saying, claiming it was merely symbolic, or the ridiculous notion that Jesus didn't really mean what He said.

And so, here we find ourselves, in the midst of the foretold great apostasy—the Falling Away, or defection from the truth of God's Word, very prevalent among today's post modern Christianity.

I find it extremely noteworthy to point out that the first words in this passage are, "And He said to them all..."

This directive from Jesus wasn't made to just His inner circle of Peter, James and John, who  accompanied Him to the Mount of Transfiguration. These words from Jesus were spoken to any of His disciples and followers standing by who desired to come after Him, or follow Him.

He said it plainly then, and today as well; "If anyone desires to come after Me."

Jesus, being the Lord of Glory, possessing all wisdom and knowledge, able to read the thoughts and intents of men's hearts, knows that all men will not desire to follow after Him. And the Gospels show that to be so. There were the multitudes who came only for the healing, the food, and the miracles. 

But the true disciples of Jesus were there because they knew He was the One who offers Himself as the rivers of living water that will quench a man's soul forever. And they wanted more of Him. They left all and followed Him.

Isn't that what your heart truly longs for? More of Jesus. To be closer to him? To know Him more?

A lifetime of pursuing more stuff only left me thirsty and starving for more of Jesus. More stuff does not and cannot ever satisfy. This land of prosperity is a parched, dry and thirsty land. A spiritually barren wilderness of empty riches.

Jesus, knowing all, is giving us a precious gift and the ultimate freedom by calling us to deny ourselves, leave it all behind, and follow Him. All the stuff we work so hard to obtain is a trap and a chain around our soul. 

He also invites us to "take up your cross daily."

Why daily?  

Because we need to die to 'self' every single day. Our selfish desires and the lust of the human flesh needs to be nailed to the cross daily, if not every single minute. The old sinful nature is a hungry beast who can never be filled—a blood thirsty, ravenous wolf, always looking for his next kill. Always hunting, never satisfied, never at rest.

God is certainly not calling every person to leave their family, job, and everything else and go wandering around the globe as itinerant evangelists.

What He is calling us all to do, is to deny ourselves. Stop being selfish with our time, our resources and our hearts. If we are living only to please ourselves and acquire more stuff, more titles, riches and prominence, we will ultimately lose that life, one way or another.

Jesus said:

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” (Luke 9:24-25)

The late Jim Elliot, who was one of five missionaries killed in 1956, while participating in Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador, was quoted with this now famous saying:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Jim literally lived out the calling to lose his life for Jesus' sake, and he would find it. 

As I stand at the threshold of sixty years of age, I am painfully aware that I am not long on this earth. Much of my life as a believer I wasted on selfish pursuits. And I can never get those wasted years back.

But what I can do is make the most of the short time I have left by denying myself in every situation, and take up my cross daily—which simply means dying to selfishness—and follow Jesus and His example and calling to share the Gospel with all those to whom He sends me. Help those in need with what is truly needed. Love as Jesus loved.

One of my favorite sayings of Jesus is:

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

That, is what this message is all about.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.