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Today’s Scripture Reading [October 10, 2010]
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16:24. KJV]
We are all living in an “IMM” world, the world that is dominated by our own selfish needs and desires. We use these three words “I”, “Me” and “Mine” so frequently each day that we lost count of them. This self-centered and self-serving behaviour is so strong and pervasive within us that we literally adopt a “couldn’t care attitude” the minute we open our door and walk out of our house. We live by the worldly doctrine of “unless I can get some benefits out of it, why should I care; every man for himself”. For many of us even though we are Christians, we still cannot deny that this is also the very the innermost part of our being. No matter how hard to try, we always find ourselves trapped inside this self-serving attitude of “I, Me and Mine” to a point that we feel the world owes us a living. We may profess to know Jesus and sincerely have the desire to walk His way but our carnal nature often points us to an opposite direction.
In Isaiah 14:13–14, Prophet Isaiah has described in a vivid manner how Satan had wanted to overthrow the throne of God and to be God himself. Satan was created to be the most beautiful creature with all the power and authority next only to God and yet He is still not satisfied. He wanted to take over everything from God and he demanded to be worshipped upon. This dissatisfaction and evil desire of Satan continues to this very day, and he spares every effort to posses them. We all know that this is a wishful thinking for Satan because He has lost his battle at the Calvary.
We must recognize that what is true in the very nature of Satan is also true in the very nature of human. Like Satan, once we have acquired the taste of good life, we just simply refuse to give up. Quite to the contrary we want more and more. How many kings or emperors have we knew throughout history had given up or abdicated their throne voluntarily in favour for their others like their children? They clung onto the throne because the throne came with wealth, power, authority and kingship respect.
Blessedly, in God’s economy this is just the opposite. As children of God, we are to abdicate our rights, to deny ourselves, to pick up the cross of Jesus and to follow Him. Easy? Absolutely not and unless we are truly living by the Spirit of Christ, it is totally impossible for any human to deny himself to serve others the way God demand of us. If we are sincere and be prepared to act and to let the Spirit of Christ to help us in abdicating our rights and denying ourselves, we can then be transformed from “Who care” to “Let’s care” attitude. This is an extremely positive result that will have great implication to our lives, our communities and more importantly to our relationship with Jesus.
The dilemma of many Christians is that while on one hand we want to serve Him, to do what is right, to please Him but our hearts often bend another way. At one point or another, we seem to have abandoned our God and without God, life becomes all about the self. We may be new Christians or ‘seasoned’ Christians, we must understand that become a Christian do not stop us from being a sinner. We have to take an honest appraisal of who we are. We must take extra care not to be influenced by others of their watered-down teaching and doctrines that we are not bad, we are not sinful and we don’t need a Saviour to redeem us. The danger of watered-down doctrines is that it may be politically correct but it is utterly satanic. This teaching is very dangerous because it denies the Deity of Christ and will have great negative influence our daily decision and our faith towards who our True God is. We will be influenced by it to decide what is right and what is wrong without due regard to God’s law. We are going to put our own opinion above that of God’s law. This watered-down politically correct teaching that we are ‘good and sinless’ is our pathway to eternal destruction. We must go back to the basic biblical truth of what God has said about us: Our mouth is full of cursing and bitterness and our feet are swift to shed blood (Romans 3:14-15), no one is righteous, and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10; 3:23 ) and there is no fear of God (Romans 3:18).
If you are introduced to listen to a message and you are told that it is good because it is politically correct, you must stay away from it, more so if you are a child of God! A real test of a message that you are reading or listening that is God-inspired is when someone tells you “That is a politically incorrect teaching. It really hurts.” Unlike politically incorrect messages, politically correct preaching is sweet to ears but is damning to our souls because it is not God-inspired. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is never politically correct. The death and crucifixion of Jesus is a clear testimony to this. Had only Jesus been politically correct, He would not have had to die and the world will not have Him as our Saviour! If only Jesus claimed to be “I am a Way, a Truth and a Life”, a politically correct statement, a pleasant thing for the Pharisees and for the Roman King, He would be spared from the agony on the Calvary Cross. He would not have to be born here on earth because His very presence here was to deliver the politically incorrect message that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! Jesus chose to be politically incorrect even though He knew that He was going to pay for His life when He said: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). I and the Father are one (John 10:30), an undeniable claim the Jesus is fully God, coequal and coeternal with God.
We have seen how many countries destroyed because people elected national leaders whom they considered as ‘good politicians’ who had spoken with all the politically correct things at a politically right time. The end result is that these elected high officials had politically cheated the people’s trust. Billion of dollars were siphoned off from the national coffers into their private bank accounts. We saw this happened to Philippines. Marcos was a great oracle and his rallies were filled with politically correct messages which moved people’s hearts and tears. In the end, people of Philippines got more than what they had bargained for: they wept till their eyes dried when they lost all their ‘heart-earned’ monies and the economy was in shamble even till this day! From one of the wealthiest countries in the 1960 in South East Asia, it became one of the poorest in less than one generation.
Let’s leave all those politically correct messages to politicians, and remember God is not a politician. God is God! As for us, our politically incorrect messages may be offensive to others but we must take great comfort and confidence in God that our politically incorrect messages are sealed with the blood of Jesus that has the power to save souls from eternal destruction. We must stay firm to our true spirituality to deny ourselves and to serve Him even if it is politically not correct to do so. This is going to come with terrible trials and tribulations especially in the last days! (2 Timothy 3:1). Regardless of who we are, we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). We must admit that from time to time we move from being controlled by the Spirit of Christ and enjoy His blessings and often quickly to being controlled by our own selfish and corrupt desires, perhaps pressurized by others to be politically correct just to please them. Thankfully, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us, we can accomplish this special divine call to deny ourselves and to put God first, to be politically-aligned to our Perfect God rather than to this imperfect world, and to fully prepare ourselves for the last days when people are lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of God. We are further warned to stay away from these people (2 Timothy 3:2-5) because they can negatively influence us and if we are not careful, they are going to creep into our home. We have already seen many homes destroyed because they just simply don’t believe in the power of God and keep busy mingling with politically correct people that they shouldn’t be mingling with. Satan has failed miserably to take over the heavenly throne but he has a Plan B which is to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ that comprising all the believers of Jesus. This is Satan’s last battle with God. But we all know, the battle is already won by Jesus when rose from the grave.
What than is “denying our ourselves or dying to self?” Prayfully, the following short message can give you clarity on this special divine call of duty to deny ourselves (or dying to self) and to let the power of the Holy Spirit reveal to us our sinfulness, our wickedness and our weaknesses and by His power we can be strengthened to live the way God wants us to live and all for His glory, however politically incorrect it may be.
DYING TO SELF
(Author Unknown)
(Author Unknown)
WHEN you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ – that is dying to self.
WHEN your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, you advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient loving silence – that is dying to self.
WHEN you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality or any annoyance, when you stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility and endure it as Jesus endured it – that is dying to self.
WHEN you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record you own good works or itch after commendation, when you truly love to be unknown – that is dying to self.
WHEN you are content with any clothing, with any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God – that is dying to self.
WHEN you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and you honestly repose with him in spirit and feel no envy nor question God while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances – that is dying to self.
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