A life of service, a life of self renunciation

Continued from yesterday - Self Denial-

'Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian's life.

Such customs have only one purpose-- to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which God would have done.

Fasting helps to DISCIPLINE the SELF-INDULGENT and SLOTHFUL WILL which is so reluctant to serve the Lord, and it helps to humiliate and chasten the flesh.

By practicing abstemiousness we show the world how different the Christian life is from its own.

If there is no element of asceticism in our lives, if we give free rein to the desires of the flesh (taking care of course to keep within the limits of what seems permissible to the world), we shall find it hard to train for the service of Christ.

When the Flesh is satisfied it is hard to pray with cheerfulness or to devote oneself to a life of service which calls for much self-renunciation.

So the Christian needs to observe a strict exterior discipline.

But we are not to imagine that that alone will crush the will of the flesh or that there is any way of mortifying our old man other than by faith in Jesus.'

Sentence by sentence now--

1. 'Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian's life.'

This is Biblical. Just read through Matthew Chapters 5-7 and realize just how much a Christian is being told to control themselves by God's grace. We are not by God's grace, free to let our flesh rule us, our passions control us, our pleasures have free rein- there is NOTHING in our Savior's teachings that tells us to lose control over ourselves- to lose control of our emotions, our physical self. Yet so many up us get hung up on those two words-  SELF and CONTROL. As if by exacting self control we are no longer relying upon our Savior.  NONE of my self control will ever save me! I could have perfect control over myself- never losing control of my temper, my passions, my appetites and I still would NOT be saved if I didn't have my SAVIOR saving me under HIS power, none of mine. When we, as Christians, strive for self-control we are students endeavoring to follow our Master's teachings, not students seeking to become the Master. There is a HUGE difference. We could NEVER die and save ourselves, never! We will forever be in need of SAVING no matter how well we are able to follow our Savior's word and live as He tells us to live.  So, YES, 'STRICT EXERCISE OF SELF-CONTROL IS AN ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN'S LIFE.'   Say what you want, but it's truth and if you don't believe it then ask yourself why not, is it because you selfishly do not want to feel obligated to control yourself?

2. 'Such customs have only one purpose-- to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which God would have done. '

When we have our self under control we aren't being consumed by fulfilling selfish desires. Our purpose is NOT our own pleasures, our own needs, our own life.  Our purpose becomes the purpose that God has for us.  If our focus leaves our selfishness and takes of selflessness, we truly will be able to accomplish things that God wants to accomplish in us, through us. 

3. 'Fasting helps to DISCIPLINE the SELF-INDULGENT and SLOTHFUL WILL which is so reluctant to serve the Lord, and it helps to humiliate and chasten the flesh.'

Fasting. Going without food. I've been thinking a lot about food lately because of this study and I contemplate fasting, but I'm just not sure about it all. I don't want to fast just to say I fasted (even if it's only between God and I) and yet I want to fast because I've learned this is something God wants of us, something that Jesus honestly expected from us. Maybe I just need to take the plunge, choose a meal to miss.  Yes, I'm thinking that small right now because I don't want to attempt something huge and fail miserably. I think if I set my mind to a fast and prayed about it and then changed my mind, it wouldn't sit well with me at all. So maybe I will begin by skipping a meal, then two meals, and then three and so on.  I just need to pray on this more and hope I'd be doing it for the right reasons, in the right way. If fasting helps to DISCIPLINE the self indulgent and slothful will then I need it, because I believe I am far from where I should be in my walk with Christ.  To humiliate and chasten my flesh, to bring it into subjugation wouldn't this be a good thing? Granted that it would all be accomplished through the power of God,  by His grace. Does God mean more to me than I mean to myself? He should.

   4.    'By practicing abstemiousness we show the world how different the Christian life is from its

           own. '

For all that we aren't to go about mourning and sad, with ashes on our faces and a tearful expression so that others see and realize what we are doing, when we do fast we are to be cheerful about it. We are NOT to publicize what we are doing to others, taking glory to ourselves for our 'self-control'.  Our fasting truly should be between us and God. The world may notice and when it does hopefully what it will see is someone devoted to God more than someone devoted to selfishness, to self-serving.

5. 'If there is no element of asceticism in our lives, if we give free rein to the desires of the flesh (taking care of course to keep within the limits of what seems permissible to the world), we shall find it hard to train for the service of Christ. 

The service of Christ is a call to SELF DENIAL and CROSS BEARING.  

If we DO NOT deny our flesh in any way and claim that we are blessed that we don't have to deny ourselves, then we are depriving ourselves of true service for Christ. IF we honestly believe that only some people have to deny themselves, then we are not in the service of Christ. Because we are blessed with so much that we aren't forced into a life of deprivation, we are even MORE accountable to deny ourselves than those who have so little to deprive themselves of. Do you want to be in the service of Christ? Then you have to follow His teachings and He has taught us that we are to deny ourselves and bear our crosses.  He did not tell us that we will be FORCED to deny ourselves and just accept that FORCED self-denial when it comes. If someone else is FORCING us, or if circumstances are forcing us to deny ourselves then it isn't truly SELF DENYING at all!  When the will to choose to deny self is taken away, it is no longer self denial at all. We are STRIVING to live as our Savior desires of us and this takes conscious thought, conscious action, not passiveness.

6. 'When the Flesh is satisfied it is hard to pray with cheerfulness or to devote oneself to a life of service which calls for much self-renunciation. '

How true. When we are content in our lives and not denying self, we are NOT in truth living our lives for CHRIST, but for OURSELVES. Satan loves to trick us in this way, He loves to manipulate us. He wants us to desire self contentment if not self pleasure and he wants this to be our standard for life, our goal to achieve. Satan does NOT want us to deprive ourselves, he does NOT want us to give us anything of our self because as long as we do NOT give up anything of ourselves the service we believe we are giving to Christ, isn't for Christ at all. Self service is what we are living for, not Christ service, unless we are truly willing to follow our Savior's teachings and they include self-denial. The richest of the rich to follow Christ, to be in Christ's service will have to deny self and carry a cross, and the richer find it harder, almost impossible to do.

Mat_19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

7. 'So the Christian needs to observe a strict exterior discipline.'

Truth. We will be tempted to follow the world in all its ways, but by the GRACE of God may we choose rather to follow CHRIST and His will, His ways!  Observing a strict exterior of discipline will not merit us a thing. We will not get a gold star by our name every day we discipline our selves. We will be blessed with a deeper more meaningful relationship with CHRIST in following HIS WILL and that alone is all we need.

8. 'But we are not to imagine that that alone will crush the will of the flesh or that there is any way of mortifying our old man other than by faith in Jesus.'

TRUTH!  Only through Jesus Christ can we LIVE a life devoted to HIM. If we are able to deny ourselves it will be through the power of CHRIST, all glory to HIM ALWAYS! 

Please Lord, help us to truly understand YOUR will for us! We would be in YOUR SERVICE! Help us to comprehend our NEED to deny our selves and pick up our cross, as Your love  for us, and our LOVE for YOU is realized in our lives and how we live.  All to YOU LORD, all for YOUR eyes only, YOUR GLORY not ours!

All praise, all glory, all honor unto YOU LORD! ALL IN YOUR GRACE and MERCY, YOUR LOVE!