There Is No Try...

"When we try to follow Jesus without dying, we find ourselves frustrated with our failure and tired of trying. Following Jesus doesn't mean that you keep trying, it means that you keep dying."  -Kyle Idleman, Not A Fan Study

Yoda was quite the philosopher, but he, the mark, did not hit. About death, it is. :)

So, how does one DIE to self everyday?  We are predisposed to be self-preserving, self-promoting, and self-conscious...and we use our self fones to take selfies...OK, that is a stretch, maybe...BUT, my point is, how do we begin our days and carry them out as one who is truly carrying a cross?...(AND, not just the kind that is studded with diamonds.)

I am not thinking I have the answer to this.  There is a part of the answer, I think, that deals with understanding what it means for Christ to have died for me. This requires that I acknowledge what Jesus has accomplished on the Cross and why His shed blood was necessary to cover me in Holiness...not just the work that was done, but the love that has been shown to me through this action.  This is an amazing and awesome thought and one I should think about everyday.

Then, that leads to the actual practice of DYING to self...which requires disciplines that must be developed. Being in the Word, prayer, service to others, praise and worship, seeking alone time with God, giving tithe and time to God, fasting or abstaining from something in order to deny our flesh power over ourselves and allow for the spirit to be nourished....are just a few.

I saw a funny sign when we were all at the Great Wolf Lodge for our indoor water park adventure...it said "I can resist everything, but temptation!"  There are many things I know I can resist...Hinkley's Doughnuts are not one of them :) But, I think we need to know which temptations can affect us.  We have to consider ourselves dead to them...even though as long as we breathe we may struggle with them.  I think of the brave individuals who have battled to overcome addictions to alcohol in AA meetings.  They know very well that their battle is a daily struggle...they know, and can celebrate each day of sobriety.

So...we hate to die and dying is hard....is there anything to encourage us?  YES!  If we will die...we will be made ALIVE in Christ.