The Cross and Self

The church world is full of Christian professors and ministers, Sunday school teachers, workers, missionaries, evangelists, etc. in whom the gifts of the Spirit are manifested and are blessing multitudes. However, when known “close up” they are found to be full of self.

They may have “forsaken all” for Christ and imagine they would be ready to die for their Master, like the disciples of old, but deep down in their hidden private world there lurks that dark, sinister power of self.

This dark and hidden sin has been a constant battle and a harsh reality in my journey. I confess that I struggle with “self” who wants to sit on the throne of my heart.

This chapter of Born Crucified will challenge you to see the truth. Too many times, we wonder why we do not have victory over our wounded pride, our touchiness, our greed, our lack of love and even our failure to experience God’s promise of “living waters.”

Take a moment and ask yourself, could this be me? 

Let’s look at this illustration to see how and where “self” began. 
In the garden of Eden, God and Adam had a perfect union. God was the center of his life as well as Eve’s. They were happy relying on God and free in expressing their devotion to God. He was at the center.

When they choose to take from the tree that would awaken the knowledge of good and evil within them, it darkened their conscience’s perfect state.

When God asked Adam, who told you that you were naked, Adam quickly began making excuses to protect his disobedience. And this was the beginning of our fallen state.

We have grown up allowing “self” to sit and rule in our heart, until that day when you heard the gospel of salvation and made the decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart. Here, you rightly gave God His proper place as you chose God instead of “self” to rule in your heart, and thus a new creation you became.

As we mature in God’s Word, we no longer are called babes, but are commanded to chew on the Word of God and understand that we must pick up our cross and follow Jesus. We must choose to raise the ax to this root of the many selves of this world; such as, self-righteousness self-esteem, self-pity, and my favorite self-glory, etc.. 

Can you name a few?  

Let us not be deceived. Let us not think and behavior like Pharisees having the outward religion, but inside we are dirty and filled with dead men’s bones.

You will draw close to God as you continue to die to self. For encouragement and strength, let’s look to scripture for grace.

Galatians 6:2-5

 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

George Mueller was asked what “is the secret of your service”, and Mueller replied: “There was a day when I died” and as he spoke, he bent lower until he almost touched the floor. Continuing he added, “I died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will. I also died to the world, its approval or criticism, died to the approval or blame even of my brethren or friends and since then, I have studied only to show myself approved unto God”.

Let us write a prayer for courage to do a heart examination of those forms of “self” that must die.