Luke 9:18-27 | Psalm 132:1-10
What does it look like to say no to oneself? To deny oneself? We get Jesus’ point right?
But how do we know what is good to say yes to - say, something that we desire because God has put that desire within us - and something that should be denied in light of our faith in Christ?
This is again the process of on-going sanctification. It’s a discernment of knowing now just who we are, but who we are in Christ. And as we mature in faith, we will find that we don’t need to deny ourselves as much because our selves have become more and more in line with the compassionate Christ.
This is good news.
Luke 9:18-27
Once when Jesus was praying by himself, the disciples joined him, and he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They answered, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others that one of the ancient prophets has come back to life.”
He asked them, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “The Christ sent from God.”
Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. He said, “The Human One must suffer many things and be rejected—by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts—and be killed and be raised on the third day.”
Jesus said to everyone, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will save them. What advantage do people have if they gain the whole world for themselves yet perish or lose their lives? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Human One will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I assure you that some standing here won’t die before they see God’s kingdom.”
Psalm 132:1-10
Lord, remember David—
all the ways he suffered
and how he swore to the Lord,
how he promised the strong one of Jacob:
“I won’t enter my house,
won’t get into my bed.
I won’t let my eyes close,
won’t let my eyelids sleep,
until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the strong one of Jacob.”
Yes, we heard about it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let’s enter God’s dwelling place;
let’s worship at the place God rests his feet!
Get up, Lord, go to your residence—
you and your powerful covenant chest!
Let your priests be dressed in righteousness;
let your faithful shout out with joy!
And for the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
Prayer
God,
Even as I ask you for help in the strength to deny myself, I know that the wiser part of this is knowing the difference between selfishness and the image you intended for me. So help me to know Christ, to know myself, and to know the grafting of these knowledge sets.
Simply put: Make me into the image of Christ. If I desire something, may it be of Christ’s desires. If I have aspirations, Lord shape my aspirations by the presence of your spirit into the things Christ aspires to.
I am yours.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.