Deny My Self

So I haven\’t regularly been on talking about my life lately because first I have had two really amazing talks with this lady about Christ, Church, and Christianity. She is someone I work with and hopefully I keep working with her because she is someone that I could have an amazing impact on through this job. Then secondly because I have been extremely busy and haven\’t made the time to write out my thoughts and be real with my self so I am sorry God for putting you on the shelf for a week.

Great things in my life lately have been my giving, I have for the first time in a long time been giving what God has given me back to him. This is important for me because I like spending money, not just giving it away and this principle is great for me to learn and follow weekly. Because bottom line is that his mission and purpose is way bigger than me.

Next, well in church this past Sunday there was a guest speaker that talked about God bringing him through some ridiculous things and how his wife was an amazing support. And the passage was in mark 8. It\’s about the blind man being healed by Jesus. I read a little further only to realize that this chapter was the deny yourself pick up you cross and follow me chapter. And for some reason this time was a little different then most times I read this verse. The part that really hit me was the deny your self. What does it mean to deny yourself. Well I took it in terms of what Peter did to Jesus, he denied him. Peter pretended or acted like Jesus didn\’t exist. That he wasn\’t who or what he said he was fully knowing that he was wrong. Thats exactly what he is telling me to do to my self in this passage. I am nothing, I don\’t exist, and the only thing that matters is not me but Christ.

Mark 8:34-38 (NIV)
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. [35] For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. [36] What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? [37] Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? [38] If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father\’s glory with the holy angels.\”

God help me to deny myself. Help me to treat you as the only thing that matters in this world!