Self-denial is good for both body and soul

Individuality begins early. The child insists, “I will do it myself” — an attitude that clings into adulthood and extends to spirituality. This independence actually keeps people from a personal relationship with God who declares . . .

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8–10)

Salvation is not my own doing; it is the gift of God. I cannot boast that I have eternal life in Jesus Christ, only be grateful that He created me for His purpose and that I can live accordingly.

Just as a child must cooperate with its parent, so must I cooperate with my Savior, and the only way to do that is by yielding that independent “I will do it myself” attitude in self-denial . . .

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:24–27)

Chamber says that God wants to bring me into union with Himself, but unless I am willing to give up my right to myself and that prideful independence, I cannot appreciate or enter into that union. Clinging to my individuality keeps me from becoming like Jesus Christ, from growing and maturing in faith.

Self-denial is practical in definition and performance. It can be in inner attitudes, but must also include the more visible stuff, like food and drink. This is not a popular topic this time of the year with cookies, candy, and other sweets heavily promoted and offered, never mind the excesses in wine and other beverages. However, saying no to most of them brings bodily benefits, like safer driving during the holidays, and not having to go on a severe diet in January!

Staying away from too many Christmas treats is a place for self-denial, but there are more. How about those crazy long ‘wish lists’ that wind up piled under the tree yet eventually wind up in the next garage sale? How about the indulgence of I-wants with every sale flyer on Black Friday, or right after the holidays?

Lest I sound like Scrooge, daily life offers many opportunities to push individuality out of my thinking. What about asking for help rather than “I must do this myself” or boasting over my latest accomplishment? What do I do with those ego-boosting remarks from others who think that a good self-image means indulging support for all I do, or who encourage me to be assertive and stick up for myself?

Chambers says, “Individuality is the husk of the personal life. Individuality is all elbows, it separates and isolates. It is the characteristic of the child and rightly so . . . . It is the continual assertion of individuality that hinders our spiritual life more than anything else.” He adds that individuality never can believe. I cannot trust God when I am insisting on my own trustworthiness. When I do that, God pushes me into such a sense of failure that I must surrender to Him rather than go on in failing self-effort and brokenness.

It is a kindness that a parent lets her child try and finally say, “I cannot do it —you help me.” It is a kindness when God patiently puts up with my trying until I am broken and finally yield, crying out to Him. Only then do I know the wonder of contentment . . .

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12–13)

Always learning but never knowing?

Imagine this week a young man suddenly arriving from an obscure village. He is a carpenter who has never been much farther than his hometown. He speaks with an accent familiar to those in his area. Imagine him telling us that our accredited teachers are generally wrong in what they have been telling us, and that our religion is largely obsolete. He says he came to show us a more excellent way, a truer faith. He even claims he will die to prove it is true. How would we react?

None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:8)

Would I listen to the first man described any more than people listened to the second, Jesus Christ? How am I at listening to new ideas? I know myself. I’m a hard sell. Many time, the more someone tries to convince me, the less inclined I am to believe them. I have this, “I must prove it for myself” quality, which isn’t always a bad thing for it keeps me from buying into false schemes, and makes me investigate thoroughly.

But if that way of thinking keeps me from accepting new discoveries, our home would not have a telephone, much less computers, or an e-book reader and an android. Worse, every time I read the Bible and saw something that I’ve never noticed before (which happens daily), I’d throw that new idea out without considering its authority and relevance to my life. I would be stuck in the mud of my old ways and Christ would have no positive effect; I would not change. I have to admit that this happens far too often.

When Jesus sends new light, those upon whom that light shines must be willing to experience it and reflect it. Otherwise, all we do is balk at it until the light goes out and leaves us in the dark. That happened to the rulers of that age who crucified the Lord of glory. They would not listen, and soon they could not listen. It also happens over and over in this age until much of the population even denies there is a Lord of glory, never mind listens to what He says or believes in Him.

An early Christian called Tertullian said, “Christ did not call himself the custom, but the truth.” People love custom, even those who determine not to “get in a rut.” Custom is easy, the flow is downstream and others happily go along, making the ride pleasant. Truth has few real disciples and encounters many more hostile minds. The lovers of custom are distrustful and suspicious of those who go upstream, who think innovatively, who claim their new and grand ideas will change the world.

Jonathan Edwards, another Christian of a more recent era (1703-1758), wrote in his diary, “I observe that old men seldom have any advantage of new discoveries, because these discoveries are beside a way of thinking they have long been used to. If ever I live to years, I will be impartial to all pretended discoveries and receive them, if rational, how long soever I have been used to another way of thinking.”

I don’t know how old he was when he wrote this, but today’s devotional author says that if such an entry had been recorded in the diary of Caiaphas or Annas (the religious rulers during the time of Jesus) and lived out, Calvary would not have happened. They would have seen that this Man who came out of obscurity had really been sent by God to seek and save those who are lost in sin and they would not have crucified Him.

Today, I see all around me evidence of how the power of sin can destroy lives. Even though Jesus rose again, the sin of the world had power enough to kill the eternal Son of God. It also blinded the minds of those who determined that custom and habit were better than truth. We are definitely living in that age where people are “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).

This motivates me to pray that if I am still here at the end of this age when Jesus returns, my mind will be so eager for continued revelation from Him that I will still be learning, and will easily recognize Him when He comes.