Dying to self is the reason I live now. Are you prepared to really say and live like this? Self-denial is not so difficult because Christ is in you and He is your hope in glory. The reason one dies to self is for the purpose of the Cross of Jesus Christ. As you prepare to say ‘yes’ to this question be prepared to lose friends and family because some may falsely accuse you of being ‘self-righteous’ and more. Remind yourself that Jesus is Lord.

Obedience to the call of God is not an easy thing to do when the urgency of His call is observed. Reading the Gospels containing those moments when Jesus called someone to follow Him the urgency to do so was always ‘immediately.’ 

“When Jesus saw large crowds around Him, He gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. 19 A scribe approached Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go!” Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” “Lord,” another of His disciples said, “first let me go bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:18-22 HCSB.

What did Jesus mean when He said this? Our Lord was and is speaking to those who are spiritually dead. These folks are alive physically but their hearts are not inclined toward God, they are not yet Followers of the Christ. One may be very strong and healthy physically, and yet be spiritually dead which has eternal implications. One cannot be a Follower of Jesus Christ and be immersed in the secular activities of this world.

The way of Jesus is not so easy as many may think. When Jesus called the original disciples they simply laid aside their treasures and became His. One remarkable story reveals the heart of most in His hearing. Jesus instructed a man to sell all that he owned, give it to the poor and then he could be saved. That man’s response is not remarkable, but simply most common. He could not do as Jesus asked and walked away lost and sad. Indeed, how eternally sad this kind of response is. Without Jesus all is lost for eternity.

Jesus is Lord.