In this week's message, Laura shared from Luke 9:22-25:

And [Jesus] said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

Jesus tells the people that to be his disciple, they must do three things: deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him.

Christy Gambrell says that self-denial “is intentional disowning of the self, or stepping away from relationship with the self as primary. Jesus is not making a statement about whether the self is bad, but about who we are most closely associated with. Who is our primary allegiance to—him, or ourselves?”

In denying ourselves, we give up the right:

  • to put self first (Philippians 2:3-4)
  • to live by our own rules (John 14:23-24)
  • to rebel against authority (1 Peter 2:13-15)
  • to hold a grudge (Colossian 3:13)
  • to hate an enemy (Matthew 5:43–47)
  • to take revenge (Romans 12:19–20)
  • to understand God’s plan before we obey him (Hebrews 11:8)
  • to have a good reputation (Matthew 5:11)
  • to be honored and served (Mark 10:42–45)
  • to spend money however we please (Matthew 6:19–21)
  • to complain (Philippians 2:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:18)*

That doesn't mean we are to deny ourselves all things. Jesus modelled this for us when he did not deny himself:

  • time with God in silence and solitude
  • feasting with family and friends
  • rest
  • loving words and actions from friends and strangers

*Compiled by Pastor Ed Taylor

 

Spiritual Practice: The Prayer of Desires

Begin by taking a few moments to become calm. Thank God for all that has been, all that is, and all that will be in your life.

Let your heart’s deepest desire be stated before God. Take a few moments in silence to see if the desire remains the same or if you want to state it in a different way.

Visualize your desire. Feel it. Touch it. Taste it. Smell it. Let it become real to you in your imagination. Linger there and see how the scene depicting your desire develops or changes.

Let go of specific outcomes. Ask that God’s desire be fulfilled in your desire, or that God will transform your desire as needed. Notice what, if anything, changes as a result of that request.

Ask God how you might assist in fulfilling this desire. Stay in silence as you allow space for God to speak in and through your imagination.

Close by thanking God for this desire and for the opportunity to pray in and through it. Thank God for being present in this prayer.

Spend a few moments right after the prayer reflecting on how it was to pray with a desire. What surprised you? Moved you? Inspired you? What disturbed you? How did you feel God’s presence in the midst of this prayer? Did anything about your desire change as you prayed it?

In the days following this prayer, be aware of ways God may be offering you opportunities to live into the desire. When they do, take prayerful action and don’t forget to thank God for the opportunities and eyes to see them.

It is easy to get caught up in our desires and become overly self-concerned. So this prayer can help us let go of our desires by handing them over to God. Use this prayer when you have a desire that persists and feels important.

Prayer by Teresa Blythe

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