THE STRUGGLE OF SELF-DENIAL

THE STRUGGLE OF SELF-DENIAL

“Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 NRSV

Imagine you are at a friend's house for dinner. As the meal progresses, your friend brings out a special, beautifully decorated cup. They explain that it has been in their family for generations, used only on special occasions. Tonight, they tell you, it's your turn to use the cup. You feel honored and take the cup, marveling at its history and beauty.

As the evening continues, you learn more about your friend's family and their traditions. You discover that every person who uses the cup is encouraged to make a sacrifice for others, no matter how small or large. It's a tradition that symbolizes putting others' needs before your own.

Now, let's bring this into a modern context. Think about your daily life and the opportunities you have to practice self-denial. It could be something as simple as giving up a few minutes of your time to help someone else, or it might be a more significant sacrifice, like donating part of your income to those in need.

Self-denial, like using the special cup, is about embracing a tradition of putting others first. It's a reminder that our lives are not just about our own needs and desires, but about serving and loving those around us.

Self-denial plays a foundational role when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus. In the Gospels, Jesus delivers the tough instruction to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily as we follow Him. So how do we do it?

C.S. Lewis addresses the struggle of self-denial brilliantly in Mere Christianity. He expresses that modern culture has a tendency to treat self-denial like an honest man paying his taxes – he will pay them all right, out of duty and responsibility, but he sure hopes he has enough money left over to enjoy his own little luxuries in life. If we treat self-denial in this way, one of two things will happen: either we give up denying ourselves altogether or we deny ourselves, but in a “discontented, grumbling way – always wondering why others don’t notice and always making martyrs of ourselves” Lewis explains. Therefore, for healthy self-denial to take place, we must go deeper than mere behavioral adjustment.

Jesus was never one to ask His followers to do something that He was unwilling to do Himself. For Him to say, “Take up your cross daily” would’ve seemed impossible and somewhat hypocritical at the time – perhaps the disciples may have wondered, “Well, Jesus, I certainly don’t see you taking up a cross!” But of course, in the beauty of hindsight, we see Jesus did exactly that. In fact, not only did He take up His cross on Calvary, He performed the greatest act of self-denial in history – trading His life of perfect record on the cross for our sin.

Therein lies the secret to self-denial: To the extent that we understand the depth of Jesus’ self-denial on the cross for us, is to the extent that we can deny ourselves unto Him wholly. Why? Because no longer are we denying ourselves in a discontented, grumbling way to be accepted by God, but rather, we deny ourselves from a place of deep love, yearning to forsake all to follow Him because we know that we are accepted by Him already.

Yet, even with this knowledge, denying oneself is not an easy task – it must be practiced daily. Still, there is great comfort in knowing that when we forsake the need to carve our own story, we emerge into an even greater one.

ACTION POINT FOR THIS WEEK - Look for an opportunity this week to place somebody else’s needs above your own. As you do this, think about the ‘honest man paying taxes’ – are you doing this because you want to be noticed? Or are you doing this because you genuinely love the person, celebrating that they are made in the image of God?

PRAYER - Lord, to deny oneself completely is not an easy task at all – in fact, it’s impossible to achieve without the strength of Your grace. Christ performed the greatest act of self-denial in history, dying on the cross that I may be redeemed in Your love. Remind me of this Gospel truth and may it help me to let go of my fleshly desires that hold me back from giving my all to You. Amen.