Denying Jesus or Denying Yourself

Denying Jesus or Denying Yourself

One of these two personages will always have to be denied whether you want to or not, whether you think about it or not. If you acknowledge the one, you have thereby denied the other one; and when you acknowledge the other one, you have thereby denied the one, because all our carnal desires and human reasoning oppose the laws of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

By nature, a person wants to exalt himself, whereas Jesus’ way and His word lead us on the way down—to humble ourselves. The natural man always desires increasingly more of earthly things. Jesus did not have any place where He could lay down His head, and His word bids us to share with the others, to give away and be content; in other words, to use as little as possible for ourselves so that we have much more for the others, seeing that our kingdom is not of this world.

The natural man insists on his rights. Jesus’ way and will is to suffer injustice, besides letting our fellow men have more than they think they have a right to, and to do it joyfully. The natural man wants to be honored by his fellow men. Jesus’ way and will and command to us is to go to Him outside the camp, bearing and suffering His reproach. The natural man wants to push his own will through way whenever and however possible, whereas Jesus’ way and will and doctrine are: “Not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:42.

Man’s will is to make a good impression. About Jesus it is written that He had no beauty that we should desire Him.

People have a desire to be lords, but Jesus came in order to serve. His way of teaching is that the one who wants to be greatest shall be the servant and slave of all.

By nature we are totally corrupted, as the apostle Paul states: “In me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells.” Therefore our human will and God’s Word and will are complete opposites. This is precisely why we constantly have to choose between the greatest contrasts in all our ways, and it is extremely crucial what choice we make in each circumstance, whether great or small. God help all of us always to choose Jesus’ way and will. We will not regret it.