To Die and Live

“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.” (Matthew 16:24-25 ESV)

These verses, spoken by Jesus, as recorded in the gospel of Matthew, emphasize several things: following Christ, denying oneself, and devotion to God above all other things, including our lives.

It is easy to say one follows Christ. Cite a few verses and say a wordy prayer, and some may be impressed. “Jesus says take up his cross,” which most Christians will tell you they carry. If you are a Christian, you know your life is not going to be a bed of roses and champagne breakfasts, especially in today’s society.

It is the self-denial where many of us fail. It is that sin that is too easy not to let go of. It is that one more for the road. That new purse, set of golf clubs, or car you must have. Denying ourselves is not easy.

What about your eternity? Are any of these things worth your eternity? Jesus denied himself everything. One statement I hear very frequently is, “I don’t care what they do; I just want them to be happy.” Really, at what cost? Yes, we cannot change anyone or brainwash them out of their sin. However, it does not mean we do not keep trying to keep the door open for the Lord to work.

How, how in the heck do we do that? We do that by discussing Christ and sharing scripture, refuting heretical beliefs. When all else fails, we remain in prayer. There are people I know so steeped in sin that all I can do is pray for them; talking is not an option.

When we look at or talk about sin with others, there is a cause of sin; sometimes, it is visible to us, and sometimes, one reveals it to us. As Christians, we pray that God would help us eliminate the root cause of our sin, but we can deny ourselves and distance ourselves from sin. This human life is short. If you are addicted, avoid things that are triggers; if you lust, do not place yourselves in positions that lend that sin. If you covet, set limits and budgets to avoid that sin. In other words, do not place yourself in a position where the enemy can exploit your desires.

As Christians, we all have a cross to carry. I carry a cross daily; those who know me know it because I refer to this obstacle as my cross. I also remind them that I’ll carry that cross as long as God wants me to, and I will do it willingly because I have an eternity to be free of this burden.

When we carry that cross, we are rewarded by God. Sometimes in this world, but ultimately in heaven. The last line of today’s verses tells us of that reward, “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” 

Maybe we need to share our crosses in our testimony. When we testify to our cross, the Lord and His cross, and how His cross saved us, maybe the idea of always giving in to sin will lose its luster, and the light of the Gospel will replace it.

We cannot know everything. Honestly, we do not need to know much. We only need to know a few important things and be willing to die for them if necessary. Start thinking more like Paul and say, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8 ESV).

Live for Christ every day, and willingly carry your cross; Christ carried His and died for you.

Grace and Peace!