Welcome to Hank’s Place
Last message the topic was dying to self, or denying self, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus. I hope I made it clear that Jesus was not preaching self-denial. The idea that self-denial makes you a better, holier, more righteous person — is nonsense. All it does is leave you with anxieties and insecurities.
“Have I denied myself enough?” You can never know. So you’d better deny yourself some more, just to be safe. In Colossians 2:20-23 Paul lumped this in with what he called the elementary principles of this world. They look good, sound good to the natural mind but are useless and of no value against fleshly indulgence.
And, he reminds us of the good news that Jesus died so that we might be free from this sort of dead and useless religion; that in Christ we HAVE died to these things.
Jesus is the way. He is salvation. It’s through Him and the Cross. He is the only way to heaven and eternal life.
Paul reminds us several times that we, too, through His death, have also died to the things of this world, especially sin.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” – Galatians 2:20.
“You have died with Christ” – Col 2:20
“We have died with Christ” – Rom 6:8
“Therefore all died” – 2 Cor 5:14
However, the reason most Christians struggle to live the Christian life is they do not know they have died with Christ. And since they don’t know that they died with Christ, they are constantly trying to die. The truth is that when we were baptized or placed into Christ, we were also baptized into His death – Rom 6:3.
The person we used to be – dead in our sins and alienated from the life of God – no longer lives, but it is Christ lives in us.
We don’t die daily – once was sufficient – just as we don’t get born again every day. But every day we get to choose whether we walk after the flesh or the spirit.
“Walking after the flesh” doesn’t necessarily mean running around getting drunk and doing bad stuff. For the Christian, the flesh often takes on the subtler guise of good works, Christian duty, and self-improvement.
To deny ourself means “Trust Jesus instead of ourselves.” Don’t fall back to the inferior ways of the flesh that you once walked in, my friend, when you were an unbeliever. Instead, stand firm in the freedom of Christ.
The TRUSTING LIFE is an adventure and it’s good to daily remind ourselves that “God is for me. How can I fail?”
Today, let’s not crawl — but fly! Conscious of our loving Father’s acceptance and approval, let’s soar on eagles’ wings. And COME ALIVE!
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Hank, One of your BEST!!! We need hourly reminders of this.
Praying for you Mary and all aspects of a move.
love, nancy