“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Luke 9:23

Have you ever asked yourself, “What does it look like for me to deny myself?” To help us consider self-denial, Dewey Howard, compiled the following list.

• Denying self-life means turning my back on human standards for success or the “good life,” and instead taking up the cross of God’s standards for real life.
• Denying self-life means turning my back on human ideas of what pleases and glorifies God, and instead taking up the cross that truly brings a smile to God’s face and represents him well to others.
• Denying self-life means everything in life – whether perceived good or bad, success or failure, pleasurable or uncomfortable – is viewed as an opportunity to bring glory and praise to God.
• Denying self-life views possessions as a way to bring glory and praise to God rather than as (a) a substitute for the Giver, and (b) a means to preserve and glorify self.
• Denying self-life revisions trials, difficulties, and challenges as a way to bring glory and praise to God rather than as circumstances to be avoided at all costs.
• Denying self-life means that ultimately my reputation is unimportant. All that is important is God’s reputation through me.
• In taking up my cross, I turn my back on things that this world insists will bring happiness, joy, comfort, security, etc., and instead turn into the mission for which God has placed me on this planet.
• In taking up my cross, physical Death is no longer the enemy and therefore is not to be feared. Spiritual Death is to be avoided at all costs by living all of life on the path that Jesus travelled.
• In taking up my cross, I can expect challenges to be the rule of life, not the exception, because I follow Jesus and share in his life, death, and reward.
• When other disciples experience difficulties because of Christ, I encourage them with evidence of their following Christ rather than minimize the challenges, or explain them away, or hope that life will somehow treat them better.
• When discipling others, I hold these words of Jesus out to them rather than conceal them with a promise of pain-free, self-serving religious experience.

As humans we tend to be selfish, so self-denial certainly isn’t easy. However, Christ tells his followers to practice it every day. Let us pray, asking God’s guidance and strength to obey this command.

Larry Hays