Jump Start # 3614

Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’”

As our Lord defines discipleship in our verse today, we find it layered with major principles. First, there is the desire aspect. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me.” That’s where it starts. A person wants to be with the Lord. Without that aspect, nothing else will happen.

From that comes denial of self, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus. All essential and all in a specific order. It’s that denying self that trips so many of us.

A.B. Simpson, a hymnwriter, penned in 1896, a hymn called, “Not I, but Christ.” There seems to be several variations of that hymn through the years. One in particular I like says, “Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord. Oh, to be lost in Thee. Oh, that it may be no more I, but Christ, that lives in me.” Taken from Paul’s words of Galatians 2, Simpson catches the essence of denying self. Save me from myself. That is our battle. Satan’s out there. Error persists. Temptation circles around us like an old buzzard. False brethren, evil companions,  and wicked people try to chip away at the faith that we hold dear.

But our greatest enemy is self. It is our choices, our attitudes, our weaknesses, our indifferences that keeps Christ at a distance from our hearts. Save me from myself. What a great expression of truth.

Here are some thoughts:

First, save me from the thoughts that I shouldn’t have. We may never say the words, but we often have thoughts about others that we shouldn’t. Sometimes it shows on our faces. The rolled eyes. The quick turn away and ignoring someone. The loud sighs. The fallen countenance of our faces. Thoughts that lack kindness and grace. Thoughts that are judgmental. Thoughts that are hateful and mean. Thoughts that divide and hurt. Negative. Complaining. Save me from myself. The world and culture of today swims in such thoughts. We don’t have to. The world loves to judge. You don’t have to. The world promotes aggressive behavior that bullies and intimidates others. You don’t have to be like that. Be the oasis of kindness and gentleness.

Second, the trouble and struggles we get ourselves into are the result of our choices. We can blame Hollywood, TV, bad influences, but at the end of the day, we were the ones who made those choices. No one made us do those things. Light years ago, comedian Flip Wilson, had a line from his show when he said, “The devil made me do it.” It was cute, but not accurate. The devil doesn’t make you do anything. He can put on a great sale job, but it is you who puts your name on the bottom line and make the choices. They may seem right at the moment, but they are not. They may seem fun, for a moment, but they bring sorrow, guilt, shame and sin. What the devil offers seems great, but his promises never come through. He is a liar, the Lord tells us. He’s always been that way.

If our eyes could only be open to see beyond the moment. The consequences can be devastating. Poor choices can lead to time in jail. They can lead to a divorce. They can cause you to get expelled from school. They can lead you to losing your job. You might lose fellowship with the people of God. And, worst of all, you can be eternally banned from the presence of God. Save me from myself.

Third, self can be your best help or your worst enemy. It is that conscience that God has given you that can remind you that something that looks right isn’t. That conscience can put passages before your eyes that changes the choice you are about to make. Guilt can be a good thing. Guilt can make us see that what we tried didn’t work. Guilt can bring us back home to God where we belong. Deep within us, we know what is right. We’ve read the passages. We’ve heard sermons. We’ve sat through Bible classes. Often, the trouble with doing right is self. Save me from myself. We talk ourselves out of apologizing. We convince ourselves not to forgive. We remain on the outside with the prodigal’s unforgiving brother, missing the celebration and the feast that is taking place on the inside of the house. Stubborn and full of pride, we refuse to admit we need help. People are there who will help us. But we keep them at a distance. We only people to get so close to us.

Save me from myself. That is likely the greatest salvation ever.

Roger