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.–Matthew 16:24

Commenting on this verse, in a message delivered in 1890 J. R. Miller said: There are few things at which people enact greater farces–than in their feeble and foolish efforts at self-denial. Very few seem to have the remotest conception of what self-denial is!

One does without meat on Fridays, eating fish instead–and thinks that he has denied himself in a most commendable way.

Another gives up candy or a certain amusement for forty days in Lent–and is proud of over his great self-denial.

Others make themselves miserable in various ways: inflicting pain, making useless and uncalled-for sacrifices–as if God were somehow pleased when they suffer!

But none of these things constitute self-denial. There is no merit or virtue in . . .
giving up anything,
suffering any loss or pain, or
making any sacrifice–merely for its own sake.

True self-denial is the renouncing of SELF–and the yielding of the whole life to the will of Christ. It is SELF–coming down from the heart’s throne, laying crown and scepter at the Master’s feet–and thenceforth submitting the whole life to His sway.

True self-denial is living–not to please ourselves, not to advance our own personal interests–but to please our Lord and do His work. It is denying ourselves anything which is sinful in His sight. It is the glad making of any sacrifice which loyalty to Him requires. It is the giving up of any pleasure or comfort for the good of others–which the living out of His gospel may demand. The essential thing is that SELF gives way altogether to CHRIST–as the purpose and end of life.

True self-denial, like all other traits of Christlikeness, is unconscious of itself. We deny ourselves when we follow Christ with joy and gladness, through cost and danger and suffering–wherever He leads!

God comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God (2 Cor 1:4).

Commenting on this verse, Dale Byers makes an irrefutable observation, followed by an interesting question and important advice. Please read carefully and respond correctly:

 

It is the nature of sin to bring hurt to people. Most of the hurts in our lives are caused by the actions or words of someone else.  God does not want us to sin, and there are always provisions so we do not need to, but we do.  If you were forced into a choice, which of these would you choose? (1) To be wounded deeply by someone you loved and trusted, or  (2)  To wound deeply someone who loved and trusted you?

 

When we are wounded by someone, we receive the blessings of being identified with Christ in His hurt.  Don’t become bitter when you have been wronged.  Rejoice, because God’s blessings rest upon you.  To be wounded puts us in “the place of God,” as was Joseph in Gen.50:19-20.   To suffer from the sins of others puts us in the place of God where we can forgive and return blessings upon them.  This is like Christ who blessed even those who nailed Him to the Cross, “Father forgive them they know not what they do.”  You can overcome your bitterness by claiming Eph 4: 31- 5:1, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

 

When we wound others by our sins, we must first of all repent by pursuing forgiveness from God and from those whom we have wronged. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message which provides redemption and forgiveness for sinners.  The most difficult things to deal with in our sinning are the wounds and hurts that we bring to others.  If we wound someone who loves and trusts us, we lose the confidence and trust of other people.  Trust and honor can never be given to someone.  Those must be earned.  It may take years to win that honor and trust back again, and sometimes it may never be achieved.

 

When we wrong other people, we carry the guilt and consequences of our sins.  We may receive forgiveness, but the consequences may be with us, sometimes, until the grave.  If our sins involve a violation of the laws of the land, we may receive forgiveness from God and the people whom we have wronged, but the consequences of the law remain.  Nor will forgiveness necessarily eliminate the hurts we have caused.

 

So how do we handle living with the wounds we have caused in other people’s lives? That can be done only through the Mercy and Grace of God. These four words are important:  Repent, Return, Repair, and Restore.   (1)  Repent thoroughly before God.  (2)  Return anything you have taken.  (3)  Repair, as much as possible, any damages you have done;  and  (4)  Restore relationships as much and as soon as possible.

 

Allow God’s glory to be demonstrated even in your sins.  Claim the wrong totally as your own.  Accept 100 percent of the blame.  Defend the righteousness of God even in the consequences for your sins.  God is merciful, but He is also righteous, and the situation will require Him to demonstrate His justice as well as His mercy.  Accept the truths of Gal 6:7,” Be not deceived; God is not mocked:  for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”  God’s mercy and grace is sufficient and available for the sinner and for the wounded.  Thank God for the Cross, the Resurrection and the Ascension!  Remember that God does love you supremely.

You, that were…alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight– Colossians 1:21-22

One word with which Paul frequently sums up the accomplishment of the cross is “reconciliation,” the bringing together of two parties that were previously at odds.

Here in Colossians Paul describes in detail why this reconciliation was necessary. First, you (and every other human being) were alienated from God, pitted against Him both in your mind and in your wicked actions.

There is not a person in the world who is by nature at peace with God. While we love to invent our own ideas and images of God, we resist His authority over us and His self-revelation to us, in the Bible. We would a thousand times rather live our own way than submit to His perfect and just and good way.

And for this reason, we are unacceptable in God’s sight. He is good and we are evil. He is right and we are wrong. He is holy and we are dirty. But Jesus, Paul announces, has reconciled us through His death on the cross.

No longer are we dirty and guilty and wrong in God’s sight, if we are Christ’s. Because He sees us in Christ, God now views us as holy, unblameable, and unreproveable!

And the clear implication is that, for those who are now in Christ, they have been reconciled to God in their minds and in their actions. No longer do they strive to rebel against His authority; they now strive to please and uphold God’s glory.

What about you? Are you in Christ? Have you been reconciled to God? (From “Daily in the Word”)

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.Genesis 45:1-5

Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor in television, Marghanita Laski, a well-known secular humanists and novelists, said, “What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me.”

Joseph was able to finish his race strong because he looked to God during difficult situations. Even when he was sold into slavery, tempted, and wrongly accused, he remained faithful through God’s strength. But he also finished running his race because he learned to forgive those who had wronged him.

After his brothers had sold him into slavery and Joseph had spent many years in Egypt, his brothers had come to Egypt seeking food during a famine. This was a testing time for Joseph. He had been elevated to ruler over Egypt and he had the power to punish his brothers if he wanted, yet we see… that he forgave them. Joseph had suffered in slavery and in prison because of his brothers, yet he still loved them and chose to forgive them.

I doubt any of us have had to suffer slavery or imprisonment because of someone else, yet God still desires that we would forgive during life’s difficulties. When we are wronged, we all have a choice to make. We can become bitter and seek revenge or we can forgive that person. Many people will tell us we deserve to have the wrong made right, but God shows us through the life of Joseph that we can forgive even in the toughest situations.

It is not easy to forgive when we are wronged, but as we see in the life of Joseph, we must focus on Christ. Genesis 50:19-20 says, “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Joseph realized that God had a plan for all he had been through and he was able to forgive his brothers as he focused on God.

We cannot forgive others in our own strength. Our human nature tells us to seek revenge and keep things “even” between us and others. But God has called us to forgive others even if others do not deserve our forgiveness. He gives us an example of undeserved forgiveness in Luke 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” As our Lord hung on the Cross, He asked His Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him. What forgiveness! There shouldn’t be any situation in which we are not willing to forgive others!

Is there an unresolved situation in your life? Is there someone you need to forgive? We will not be able to keep running our race and finish strong if there is unforgiveness in our lives. Take time now to seek God’s help in forgiving others. Ask Him to point out any unforgiveness or unsettled situations in your life. Commit to forgiving others as you continue running your race today.(From “Daily in the Word”)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.John 3:16

This is without a doubt the favorite verse for a lot of people. It is wonderful because it has the love of God as its subject matter. That should always get our attention. It certainly did in Paul’s case. This is the same subject that he had in mind when he wrote to the saints in Ephesus. He prayed that they would be able to “comprehend, with all saints what’s the breath, and length, and depth, and height” of Christ’s love. It is interesting to note that these four things are seen in John 3:16. Jack Graham writes:

Is it possible to know the breadth, the depth, the length, the height of the love of God? Well, we know it is revealed in today’s verse, which is often thought of as one of the most priceless gems in all of the Scriptures, John 3:16.

The breadth of the love of God is found in the first part, “For God so loved the world…” God’s love embraces the whole world.

The length of the love of God is that “…he gave his only begotten Son,” showing how far God would go in order to love us.

The depth of the love of God is that “…whoever believes in him should not perish…” Jesus descended into the destination of the damned in order to deliver us and to save us from perishing!

And then the height of the love of God is that we should “…have eternal life.” That’s what God’s love does.

Now, the reality is that while we can read the words of the most famous verse in the Bible on paper, God’s love is so much greater that anything you or I could express or imagine. So take time today and meditate on how much God loves you. And thank Him for showing it by sending Jesus to die for you!

GOD’S LOVE IS GREATER THAN COULD EVER BE EXPRESSED IN WORDS. SO THANK HIM FOR SHOWING HIS LOVE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!