Part 2 in the “What Does It Mean?” devotional Bible Study
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
Personal identity and “finding yourself” are all the rage these days. Our culture tells us that our identities are tied to our race, sexuality, nationality, political party, even our job titles.
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But, what does the Bible say about our identities?
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27
Kind of makes race, nationality, and job titles seem small and petty things to hang your (identity) hat on!
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Kind of sounds like tying our identities so closely with our physical, bodily features is really aiming too low!
Jesus made it clear in Matthew 16:24 when he told his disciples that if we are to come after him “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” We are to deny everything about ourselves. Everything. It is all about God now.
In his book, It’s Not About Me, Max Lucado put it this way: “God does not exist to make a big deal out of us. We exist to make a big deal out of him. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s all about him.”
To deny yourself means to die to self every day.
Denying yourself means you die to your sinful nature. You die to your own understanding. You die to your desire for your own glory. You die to selfishness. You die to your own ideas of who you are and what you want to do.
You put all of that behind you, take hold of your new identity in Christ (child of God), and move forward in faith to fulfill his plan for your life… not your own plan.
The apostle Paul is a great example of what it means to deny yourself. He did everything for God’s glory.
Sure, Paul was a tentmaker. He had to earn money as we all do. But, “tentmaker” was not his identity.
Yes, he was Jewish. He had actually been a Jew to look up to, for many. But, he gave that up to leave his homeland and preach Jesus to the Gentiles.
He gave up his stature as a Jew of Jews to follow wherever God led him, to do whatever God wanted him to do.
Think about it:
What part of your life, your identity, your personality are you not denying?
Identify those parts of you and let them go.
It is no longer about you and your politics, or your glory, or your national origin. None of those things matter anymore.
In Matthew 16, after Jesus has told us to deny ourselves, he says in verse 25, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
If you are looking to “find yourself”, don’t bother backpacking through Europe or trekking the Himalayas, or taking a sabbatical to focus on self-help books.
If you are looking for your true identity, don’t bother labeling yourself by your gender or skin color.
You just need to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. Then, you will find yourself and your true identity.
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Be sure to check out all the lessons in the “What Does It Mean?” study:
What Does It Mean to Abide in Christ?