You Call Yourself A “Christian” ~ Deny Yourself

Greetings Dear Reader,

I promised we would get back to the idea of denying oneself.  When Jesus tells me to take up my cross to follow him he first says that I must deny myself.  Before I go there I wish to be clear on something.  Following Christ is foremost a matter of faith.  It is for the sake of those who need to see the reality of the Gospel that his followers must live out certain things.  By doing these things we do not “earn” God’s favor.  We prove to others that we are serious about our faith.  Thank you for the comments Dear Reader.  As my Grandfather used to say, “You do what you believe. Everything else is talk.”

So then, what does it mean for me to deny myself?  It means that I do not put my wants and desires ahead of the needs of others.  You hear stories of people who do things that are a grand sacrifice in order to show their faith.   I would take nothing away from this.  It may be more important to the Gospel and following Christ that we deny ourselves in everyday things.

Placing the needs of others ahead of my own is difficult but is at the core of the daily struggle.  It is the stony path of the journey until you get used to it.  It means I do not grasp at what I desire but rather seek to see what others need as I go about my day.  When we discipline our lives to be this way it becomes easier to give the kind word, delay my agenda to help others, or give up something I do not need for someone who does need it.

The examples must be anecdotal but that requires me to risk sounding prideful.  I will offer this.  I was discussing grocery shopping with a friend yesterday.  She dislikes the organized chaos that is a grocery store.  I have determined that one of the great opportunities of a grocery store is creating relationships of kindness with the people who work there. 

After several years of wandering the isles of my chosen grocer the clerks know me.  The managers do as well.  I am able to listen to them relate stories about their lives and family.  I am able to be a comfort when there is loss.  I am able to show them love because I choose to put them above my grocery list and my timetable. 

Because of this I have been able to comfort the lady in the bakery who is waging a daily battle with cancer.  I have gotten to pray with the assistant manager when she lost her mother.  I have gotten to exchange stories of our sons and our love for them with the manager. 

The point is to create a pattern of caring for the needs and lives of others.  To deny my life and in doing so gain a better life than I can imagine is the goal.  I gain because I show love and kindness.  It is not out of pride but out of my desire to communicate the love of Christ that this rises.  

On top of doing the little things daily that are a denial of self, I must do them all with humility.  I cannot stoke my pride because I was kind or selfless.  I must simply be thankful for the opportunity to follow Christ more closely.  I must deny my own purposes and seek only to follow in thought, action, and example. 

I do and will fail.  I still have moments where my pride and desires overrule my intents.  It is the process of me decreasing and Christ increasing that is the point of the journey.  It is, after all a journey not an event.  What do you think?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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