In my last post of this short series, I briefly wrote about what it means to “deny ourselves” and how it specifically relates to obedience, the way that God defines how we love Him. Jesus’ call to deny ourselves entails a violent, radical resistance to self-promotion, self-preservation, and every expression of self-service in our time, emotions, thoughts, money, and every level of our existence. It requires a reorientation of our entire existence to understanding that we take in breath not for ourselves, but for His sake (Luke 9:23-24; Luke 14:26-27). I’d encourage you to read a previous blog I wrote on this particular phrase here for more.
Though the first step of “deny yourself” seems like such a far-reaching call when we really understand what Jesus is saying, the Lord beckons into His likeness even further. For we must remember that conformity to Him, fellowship with Him, and everlasting joy in making much of Him is the driving motivation behind His...
