Let Him Deny Himself - a warning and a promise

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

- Mark 8:34-37 (NIV)

    These are hard words from Jesus Christ. The Christian life is a life of denying my desires within me that lead me away from Christ. I say no to a pattern of living that seeks the most comfortable life possible that I can live here on earth. This is warning. People quit following Jesus Christ for 2 reasons: when following Christ leads to trouble and difficulty or they do not want to give up worldliness (Matthew 13:1-23).

   There is a promise, however, that whoever will lose his life in this world will save it. There is  immense profit to be gained! Following Jesus Christ, no matter how hard it can become, is really the path that leads us to the life that we long for. God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him. 

    Further reflections on this passage from the Desiring God blog : 

First, the Christian life is hard; sometimes agonizing. We shouldn't be surprised (1 Peter 4:12). It's hard because denying our fallen selves is hard. Any death is hard, some much more than others. But it's designed to be that way. Our lives are our most precious earthly possession. Nothing displays the worth of Jesus more than our willingness to give away our lives (in small and large ways) for his sake.

    Second, the only things that Jesus asks us to deny ourselves of are what will rob us of eternal joy. Like Moses in Hebrews 11:25-26, we are called to deny ourselves the passing pleasures of sin and consider the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the world's treasures. How? By looking to the reward! I'll sum it up in some lyrics I wrote in a song for my oldest daughter years ago:

There's joy beyond your wildest dreams if you will just believe.

This aching thirst for joy you feel God only can relieve.

And that eternal life is what's in store.

For all who will believe that only he's worth living for.