Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Followers Of Jesus – A Spiritual Check-Up

GALATIANS 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

THEME OF THE DAY. FOLLOWERS OF JESUS – A SPIRITUAL CHECK-UP. Quick question to take us into today’s nugget – “How much self-denial did we practice this week?” Don’t brush this off. It is too important. It is so important because our answers reveal two things about us.

First, our understanding or lack of what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus. He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Pay attention to the first requirement the Lord makes to be His follower – “He must deny himself.” The word “must” is critical to our understanding of discipleship, of even being a Christian. Jesus allows no “wiggle room” for would-be followers of Him. Self-denial or “putting the interests of self on a shelf” is mandatory and continual throughout life.

The second truth concerning our answer to the question “How much self-denial did we practice this week?” reveals our understanding or lack of the suffering required to live the Christian life – “and take up his cross daily.” The cross is an instrument of death; of suffering. We are to do all-out warfare, strenuous warfare against the ugly sinfulness of self-love which is the enemy of self-denial. And this warfare is constant. Never a ceasefire. Never a vacation. Every day is a day of battle for the Christian. That is one aspect of heaven we long for . . . no more battles against our sinful flesh, a crafty devil, and a sensual world.

So, back to the opening question – “How much self-denial did we practice this week?” As we seek to answer it, don’t start with what we did or didn’t do in this area. That is easy and we can give ourselves a “passing grade” and not get a truthful answer. In answering the question, let’s look at our attitudes first. And let’s do that by looking at what the Apostle Paul tells us will be the attitudes leading to actions characterizing the last days. Ponder each one. Examine ourselves line by line. In doing so, we will know if self-denial is or is not a regular practice in our walks with the Lord Jesus.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

PRAYER: “Lord, help me to live a daily life of self-denial by doing battle constantly against my sinful desires.”

QUOTE: “Where self-denial is not sought and practiced, sinful self-love will control one’s heart and life.”