Self-denial to follow Jesus
Luke 9:23 « 23And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. » KJV
Renunciation is always voluntary. In this verse, Jesus says well: “If one wants…”.
The Lord has never been in manipulation; nor has He forced or pressured anyone. On the contrary, He appeals to our will in respect of our freedom. He goes even further than that calling us to think before committing ourselves to follow Him and become His disciple (Luke 14:26-33).
Many Christians have committed themselves not knowing exactly what they were committing to. Others too, unfortunately, have done so for personal gain and not for the Lord.
Giving up is much more than giving up a sin or a habit. The Lord asks us to give up ourselves. He never asked us to withdraw from the world for we are the salt and the light of this world. The renunciation of which He speaks is death to oneself, death to our “self”, death of the “old man” and death to the rights that we had. Far from being a corset, this renunciation actually makes us free and happy.
The goods of this world are first for us
Genesis 2: 10-12 « 10And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. » KJV
There were provisions from creation since it is said of gold and precious stones in the Garden of Eden, when there was nothing to buy. Wealth is part of God’s creation.
Psalm 24: 1 « 1{A Psalm of David.} The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein »KJV
Although the system of this world is evil, the goods of this world are not bad because they do not belong to this world but to God who created them. The Lord loves sinners, but does He love them more than His own children? No. God created all things on earth for His people.
Christians think they are humble in giving up the goods of this world or believe that they are not for them, but only for those who have chosen to serve the devil. That’s not true! The goods of this world are first for the children of God, but He asks His people to refuse to be enslaved again (to injustice, to immorality, to love of money, etc.) in order to be free for Jesus Christ.
The word “prosperity” appears 68 times in the Bible and 16 of Jesus’ parables refer to money. There is no harm in owning money as long as money does not own us ! Let us not allow it to dominate us, to be our master because we cannot serve two masters at the same time, money and God.
Money is a bad master, but used wisely, it will be a good servant.
Contentment
Philippians 4: 11-13 « 11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. » KJV
Contentment is not a detachment from material things, but a feeling of peace and fullness which rests on a total trust in God to grant us what we need. For our resources in Jesus are more than sufficient.
Contentment is not detachment, dear to certain philosophies. The apostle Paul was neither detached from his fellow men nor from circumstances.
Contentment is not satisfied with one’s fate, nor resignation to live below what we are entitled to hope for because we are the children of a great God!
Contentment is not the cult of poverty. Contrary to what religion has taught us, poverty is not a virtue but rather a curse and a consequence of sin. In the beginning there was no poverty.
It also comes from the absence of love of God in the human heart. How can it be explained that 82% of the world’s wealth is in the hands of only 1% of the population (according to the Davos Forum)?
There is nothing honorable for God that His children live in poverty. Why should God’s people be poor? Our God is a God of abundance ! Many of us grew up with a “poverty mentality” or believing that only our hard work would be the source of our blessing. We must, like David in Psalm 23, affirm that the Lord is our Shepherd and with Him we will not lack anything. Contentment is trusting the Source which is God.
Contentment provides rest and assurance because we know that this God who holds all things in His hands will take care of us at all times.
The opposite of contentment is dissatisfaction, which produces sin (comparisons, lust, frustration to not being able to possess what one desires, etc.).
When Paul wrote in verse 11 of his epistle to the Philippians, «I have learned to be satisfied with my situation», he was referring to a modern-day giant that many people face: dissatisfaction or discontent.
We have never possessed as much as we do today, and yet we have never been as dissatisfied as we are today.
What we are does not depend on what we possess. Material goods bring only temporary satisfaction, followed by disenchantment and finally disinterest.
Paul says he has learned to be satisfied in any situation. If he has learned it, it means that he was not so, but became when the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to him. A real encounter with Christ always causes upheavals in the heart and way of thinking. Paul allowed this power to unfold in his life, which made him a man capable of appreciating and living every situation with much or little, always being satisfied. He has become independent of external circumstances but totally dependent on God.
Let us learn to appreciate and rejoice in what we have; let us be grateful to God for what He has given us.
Jesus wants to give us life in abundance – The Wedding Feast at Cana
Jesus came to fill our gaps and give us life in abundance. At the wedding of Cana (John 2: 1-11), He turned water into wine, six jars of one hundred liters each, or six hundred liters of wine ! Verse 11 says that this was the first of the miracles Jesus did. The Lord began His ministry by providing miraculously with excellent wine, to allow a wedding party to continue. As if to make us understand that His mission would not be limited to ensuring the forgiveness of sins, but would allow us to reach a fullness of life. Jesus is the Lord of the feast, who wants there to be joy and abundance in our Christian life !
God wants us to shine in this world
God does not want us to live a mediocre, undeveloped Christian life. He wants to complete the work of Jesus Christ in us so that the nature of His Son will be revealed in our lives and we will shine in this world. We are not yet perfect but The Perfect already lives in us.
The real success
Abundance is not always a sign of success in the sight of God. The doctrine of many believers is corrupted by the ambitions of the flesh. Although they are believers, they remain fleshly. We must seek the reward of God rather than the honors of this world.
True success comes from God. Our success is to accomplish what God intended for us. Let us ask that He make us see the things He wants us to do.
True success is achieved in the part that God gives us and in recognizing and honoring also that which He has given to others. We must be able to accept the limits that God has set for us and excel in what He has entrusted to us.
True success is achieved when Christ is raised into our lives. When we do the will of God, even if what we do is despicable to men, it has value in the eyes of God.
Success from God is restful, fulfilling; it communicates joy, does not come at the expense of others and offers eternal reward.
Men made – Maturity in Christ
Maturity in Christ is expressed by detachment from worldly values, insensitivity to criticism and flattery and the ability to recognize God at work in one’s life. Earthly things no longer take precedence over those of God.
1 Corinthians 4: 3-4 « 3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. » KJV
The apostle Paul had grown in grace so much that he sought only the approval of God. He was not impressed or affected by what others thought or said about him. Only the law of love ruled him. He did not easily swell with pride; he was not irritable and did not hold a grudge.
He was dominated by his spirit in which the love of God had been poured out. The mature Christian is aware of the presence of God in his life and what the Word of God says about him; he is free to express his convictions and live accordingly.
It is by regularly feeding the inner man with the Word of God, in close relationship with the Holy Spirit, that one grows spiritually to the state of a made man to the measure of the perfect stature of Christ. There is no other way to grow up in Christ.
Prayer is very important but it will not make us grow spiritually. Fasting, too, has its role to play but we will not reach spiritual maturity simply by fasting. Our experiences with the Lord will not make us adults neither will visions, revelations and other spiritual gifts. All these benefits have their place and purpose but the Bible tells us that only the knowledge of the Word of God will lead us to maturity in Christ.
The spiritual man is one who lets the Word dominate his being – body and intelligence – to the point of leading him to live in harmony with the will of God revealed in His Word.
Our Father wants us to grow spiritually from the stage of a child who knows only how to receive, to that of an adult, a mature Christian, who also knows how to give and share.
Rule in life
Romans 5:17 «17For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.). » KJV
God’s plan is that we reign in life. We reign in and through the Name of Jesus Christ.
What shall we rule? Not on our fellow men but on the circumstances, diseases, suffering, sin, hatred and everything that has its origin in the devil.
To reign in this life is to use our knowledge of God and His will to exercise our authority and dominion over everything that would prevent us from progressing on our Christian walk and living happily on this earth.
Having authority over our lives again, we are to live no longer as slaves but as kings and queens through Jesus Christ who has redeemed us.
God has provided for all things for His children, provided that they obey His commandments. And if we walk in obedience, then we can claim what we need and the fulfillment of God’s promises.
The circumstances must be in line with the Word of God.
