And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away. (Luke 9:23-25)
The problem we have with these verses is that we meet ourselves on every turn. A friend told me that when she was a little girl she thought of life as a book in which she was the main character. That's our natural tendency. The greatest sign of maturity isn't gray hair or many birthdays. It's the ability to consider others before ourselves. Jesus reiterated this in various ways and it's the story of His life. Paul said, "...not I, but Christ." (Gal 2:20) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Each growing Christian comes to a point of complete surrender. That's the first step. However, in the Scriptures we're exhorted to take up our cross daily. Paul said, "I die daily."(I Cor 15:31) In each of our lives this can mean a different cross, but it all has to do with denying ourselves. We have the opportunity to die to ourselves in our homes, our work, our church, in the market place, on the highway, and in our own prayer closet.
Science tells us that self-preservation is our first instinct. They can write SELF in bold letters and be absolutely right on that one. From the cradle to the grave we are concerned with our comfort, our plans, our reputation, our placement, our problems, our security, our way, our ideas, ourselves. Even our Christian songs are often centered around ourselves. How can we cure this self-preoccupation? Jesus said, (John 6:38) "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." In ourselves we can't possibly overcome self. Sadly, it's not something we do once and for all, either. We come back to that word ‘daily'. It takes daily meeting with God, acknowledging our own inability to deal with the problem, praying that God will live through us daily, and repenting when we don't obey that still, small voice. Let's face it. Left to our own devices, we are self-willed and self-centered. Only God can change that. Our daily decisions will free us or bind us. Let's make a decision now to allow God to free us from the tyranny of self.