Reflections
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (Matt. 16:24-25)
In this passage, Jesus tells us what we must do in order to, “come after,” Him. Do we want to follow Christ? Then we need to read and obey this verse. Otherwise, we are deceiving ourselves.
The first thing Jesus says a person must do is, “deny himself.” This is not so much about denying ourselves THINGS. No. People have tried that — religious asceticism cannot please God because it is often nothing more than a, “work,” we do to make ourselves right with Him. No. To deny self means to deny my right to myself — it means to relinquish my self-ownership. We are to do this not merely to obey a principle. We are to do it because it the only way to walk in the Truth and walk in oneness with Christ. God Himself will lead us in a way that will result in the practical outworking of this Truth.
To deny self is ultimately to take my place in the Cross. Jesus says that. But practically, it means that I will no longer look to anything about myself as the basis for relationship with God. I will no longer live as if I belong to myself, but belong to God.