So, I died again today...

(This isn't a suicide note.)...
Is this misunderstood by alot of us? Check it out.

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

What sparks something in me is the idea that I woke up today only to die. That's it? Is that really my purpose? I mean, I want to follow Jesus, but die?
Yes, die.
Jesus is telling us that we must deny ourselves, but that's not death...is it? Well yes it is, sorta. If you were to deny your hunger and not eat, or your thirst and not drink, or your lungs oxygen, what would happen to you? Surely you would die.
So the word deny in this text is alot bigger than it may appear at first. The things I like to do have to become less than the mission God has given me. Priority shift from "ME" to "HIM". I want to follow him so I must be willing to deny myself, or die to the things I want in Order that God be praised. Making sense? Hope so. If not look at death like this, Unresponsive.

Clicking now?

If we die to the things of this world (anything not of God goes here) we become unresponsive to them, and more openly responsive to the leading of the Spirit of God. So the same is for taking up the cross and following him. Take up the cross? I die so I can live? It's a symbol. Maybe the cross for you is a difficult thing in your life that you must endure. I'm sure its different for everyone . Crosses were for killing people and yet God used it to give life. Only through Jesus' death on the cross can we live. Without the cross...no life. Still there?
Knowing this, we must follow God bearing whatever cross he has given us, and the lean on the example Jesus gave us with his life, to die to ourselves daily to follow him.

I love when Jesus says "follow me", cause' it means he's already been.

To me this whole thing basically says "Make God #1 everyday". That's kinda like the first commandment huh? So all this "die" stuff doesn't mean life is over, actually far from it. It means follow him, and his loving, perfect, well-being, safe keeping, never leave you, with you forever and before you forever, created and named, will before your own "stuff" and that's when you'll have TRUE life. God created the entire universe and he wants to navigate you on a journey that leads straight to him, straight to the kind of life that cant go away, but "YOU" gotta deny "YOU" first. Sure you can use GPS to get a round in this world, but personally I'd rather follow the creator than the created. Die to yourself today, see what happens when Jesus leads.


So, I died again today. Have you?
Matthew



It's worth noting that this is a metaphor, and we have it easy. Jesus did the REAL THING!