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 don’t hear much about denying ourselves these days. As a matter of fact, many people look mainly for ways to please themselves, to get what they want. “My way or the highway” is the slogan of some individuals. However, that attitude doesn’t fly with Jesus.

We are deny, or disown and lose sight of ourselves and the selfish way of living. Living for ourselves always brings death our way. Selfish and self-absorbed people eventually manage to destroy themselves and people around them who follow the same pattern. We can’t follow self and Jesus at the same time. The self life must go to the cross and die. We are to say no to self and yes to Jesus.

The crucified life, or a life that puts God’s will over our own will, gives us the power to follow and live the Christian life. The more we die to self, the easier it will be to follow Christ. To live, we must die. To follow Christ, we must deny ourselves. Life is not about gaining followers, but in being a follower of the King of kings.

the following verse bears this out.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25 (KJV)

We have to lose to win, give to gain, die to live, and deny ourselves to have Jesus Christ. The lower we humble ourselves, the more we can have of Christ and live the life He has for us.