“The other day,” Stan commented one morning during breakfast, “I was talking with one of my neighbors about denying self and the cost of discipleship.”
“The cost of discipleship and denying self? You mean like where Jesus said that denying self is the first step of discipleship?”
“That’s it,” Stan replied. “My neighbor told me about the day he realized that the cost of denying himself in order to follow Jesus was nothing compared to what Jesus said about the cost of denying Him.”
“What’d Jesus say about the cost of denying Him?”
“What He said,” Stan replied rather solemnly, “is that if people deny Him before others, He will deny them before His Father.”
“So,” I responded. “If a person thinks the cost of discipleship and denying what they want to do apart from God is too high, maybe they should think again.”
Stan smiled and said, “It’s more than ‘maybe’, my friend. It seems to me that they need to think about the cost of denial. Which denial is going to cost too much?”
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Bible verses to consider:
if any one wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, . . . . Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23.
But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:33.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for giving Jesus as the way to life eternally with you, the life that begins here and will continue forever. Thank you also for your provision of discipleship so I can follow Jesus, both here and into your eternal presence. He said that the first step of following Him is to deny myself. I confess that too often I don’ deny myself — I don’t deny what I want to do apart from you. Please forgive that foolish approach to living the new life you’ve given. Help me follow every step of your lead so I truly deny myself and never deny you or anything about you, Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you denied yourself and what you want to do apart from God in the sense that you have accepted His provision of life eternally with Him, the life that begins here and will continue forever? If no, why do you choose to remain separated from God both now and forever? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, how are you doing with denying self, what you want to do apart from God, and denying Jesus before others by what you say and do? If you sense the desire for change with any of this, how is that change going to happen? Is that what you truly want? Why or why not?
The need: Since God knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), what does God know you need in order to truly deny self as the first step of actually being a disciple who follows? Spend some time on this in prayer, reflection, and journaling to see what God knows you need. He will show you!
Forward: Do you know others who would or could benefit from this devotional? If so, why not forward it and open them to being part of the conversation between Stan and S. Tory Teller?