Matthew 16:24-25 (KJV)
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for
my sake shall find it.
The act of turning from Self-Consciousness to Christ-Consciousness…
Rotating our focus from an inward direction to an upward one is a most complicated mission for men and women to accomplish! But, when God’s treatment for spiritual health and fitness is applied as here prescribed, we are primed for the Christian race and life in general. When I think about all the issues wrapped up in the package of “self”, it is quite understandable how free we would be to live for God devoid of fleshly restraint! All our hang-ups, shyness, embarrassment, fears, reservations, attitudes, imbalances, anxieties, animosities, philosophies, dreams, goals, plans, likes and dislikes, disappointments, excuses, expectations, feelings, desires, prejudices, jealousies, etc. would no longer interfere with what God has commanded or might require of us. I’m sure I have not named all that could and does obstruct our walk with the Lord, but this list certainly exposes the depth of the self-conscious way we live on a moment-by-moment basis!
Christians who pride themselves on being “sold-out” for God ought to consider this verse at length before they toss around such a label for themselves! The Lord knows whether or not we have denied ourselves in the fashion He expressed. For instance, how many of us wake up early and dive right into our daily duties – without reading our Bibles?? We are severely deficient in the exercise of self-denial, beginning with square one! Oh, there are times when we display signs of consistency in our Bible reading and prayer, but sooner or later we drop our guard and allow self to dictate the use of our time. Yet God says that when we try to “save” our lives by yielding to self-rationalization in our choices and priorities, we have already lost control! At that point we have left off our consciousness of Christ and walked in the way of self. Ladies, we cannot reserve a portion of the life we have been given for our own purposes, though they might even be harmless or good; we must give ourselves entirely to God…
1 Cor. 6:19-20 (KJV)
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which
is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye
are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your
spirit, which are God's.
Hard as we may try, there is no way we can glorify God and “do our own thing” at the same time! If we are Christians, we should live and breathe and move with full consciousness of our Owner and Purchaser. Actually, to do otherwise would be to rob our Redeemer. It is unrealistic to think we can get by in this life existing in a “gray” state; with God it is either black or white. Thus, whenever we choose NOT to deny self, we are choosing to cheat God out of the faithfulness He hoped (and deserves!) to get out of us moment-by-moment, day-by-day. Would you say that you are willfully devoted to the Lord, from the heart, rather than just the head? Is it duty or delight with you? Do you have to work at dedicating every step you take to God’s Divine purposes or does it happen automatically, as a natural reflex of the Holy Spirit’s full persuasion within you? How much of your self-consciousness hinders your faithfulness as a child of God?
Matthew 16:26 (KJV)
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Ladies, the reason the Lord initiates a fixed “lifestyle” in the Bible is so that we can halt the endless expedition of trying to “find ourselves” somewhere out in the world and become conscious of the fact that HE is the door to true contentment. Apart from Christ, we will always be lacking something, for this world can’t deliver anything that can satisfy like Jesus can! If a person's soul is worth more than the whole world, how ought that affect the way we employ our time? What would change in your life if you truly denied yourself for Christ's sake? What change in your weekly schedule could you make to better reflect what God considers important? Perhaps you’ve been devoting all your time, thought, energy, and even money, in pursuit of securing yourself a place in this world, but still feel unfilled and overwhelmed by the future… Does it seem as if you’ve been exchanging your own soul to try to gain the whole world? If so, it’s probably time for you to stop and consider what you did with Jesus along the way, if anything! If Christ doesn’t have first place in your life, He doesn’t have any place in your life. Don’t settle for living life on a bunny trail, hopping around wherever self leads. Instead, live by clear and Divine directives – with Christ consciousness.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2004 Pamela A. Iannello
