Christian Living

Deny Yourself Of The Right

by Olawale Ogunsola
06/04/23
Free to Share
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

Being a Christian is not a theoretical but a practical matter. Its practice cannot be hidden. It is a complete way of life that does not give room for hypocrisy of any kind and in any form. It is not narrowed, and should not be, to a religion with a few laws to obey.

Being a Christian is a matter of following Christ in a way that everyone can see it. It was those who saw the disciples of Christ in Antioch who gave them the name, "Christians", Acts 11:26. They were seen as "little Christs" because of the ways they composed and comported themselves.

Is there any need for this? Yes is the answer. The Master Himself, Jesus'Christ declared to His followers, "Matthew 16:24-26
[24]Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
[25]If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
[26]And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"
Genesis 14:21-24.

Self-denial is a mandatory part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is evidence of a determination to detach yourself from loving what those who do not believe in Him love and chase about, and attach yourself to things that will protect your soul from destruction.

Self-denial is forsaking what rightly belonged to you for the sake of protecting the name of the Lord in your life. It is foregoing your entitlement for the sake of integrity. This is doing everything to protect the name of the Lord in your life. In other words, this is not giving an occasion to enemies of God in your life to reproach the name of your God in any way. This was the sin of King David for which he was disciplined in 2 Samuel 12:1-12.

We have Abraham as a practical example of self-denial in his way of life. He was fit and proper to be tagged "father of faith" indeed. Let us refer to a case that involved him and the king of Sodom. The holy Scriptures reveal,
[21]The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered.”
[22]Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I solemnly swear to the lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
[23]that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise, you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.’ " Genesis 14.

Can you see how he protected the name of the Lord? He refused to give an "occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme", 2 Samuel 12:14, King James Version, KJV.

That is real self-denial!

The Root Of The Matter.
How did the matter of giving and self-denial arise? The king of Sodom and his allied forces were defeated by their enemies and were spoiled and taken captive. Abraham and his Allies were the ones who rescued them. Was Abraham not entitled to what the king of Sodom offered him? He owned all the spoils by right.

However, for the good name of the Lord in his life, he forgone the spoils.

Beloved, are you a person who will always fight for his rights by all means? Does that protect the name of the Lord in your life as a follower of Jesus Christ? Will it not give an occasion to the enemies to blaspheme the name of the Lord in your life? Learn to deny yourself certain things to save your soul. Stay blessed and prepared for the imminent coming of the Lord.
Note:
All Scriptures quoted are from New Living Translation, NLT, except where otherwise indicated.
Kindly help to share this message and the Lord will bless you for doing so.