What does “less of me and more of Him” mean to you? Initially, before I became a Christian years ago, I was always fearful of aligning myself with God and taking on that title of being a Christian. Why, you might ask? Because it felt like my flesh knew before my mind fully comprehended and understood what the Christian walk truly entailed. My flesh knew being Christian and following Jesus was the exact opposite of what it desired. Our flesh desires so many things that oppose the very way God instructs us to live (1 John 2:15-17). So what does God call us to do? Or how to live? To live by and according to the Spirit (Galatians 5:16 NLT).
Saving Our Life by Losing It
(Matthew 16:21-27 NLT) answers this in greater detail. Jesus informs us that anyone who chooses to follow Him must give up their life to gain it. “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.” Do you feel like you’re saving your life right now or losing it?
Before maturing in my walk with God, I always felt like this Christian walk was not what I initially thought it would be – the sunshine and rainbows, God granting my every wish like a genie, and other unrealistic expectations of Him. But in actuality, it was a lot of days of correction, God saying stop doing this, watching that, or saying you cannot be around these people or listen to this type of music, etc., because it was bringing me back spiritually to what He had delivered me from (Proverbs 26:11 NIV). Ultimately, I felt like I was losing myself; the things that I had come to terms with were just me, or a part of my identity. And maybe you’ve gone through this, or are going through this season now, and it’s left you feeling sad, mad, confused, and a multitude of feelings. To that, I say, “His saving power works!”
I was a slave to fleshly desires and pleasures for years before I aligned myself with God. I was chained to sin like a brick around my neck. I saw no way out of my sin because I didn’t want to lose myself or control of my life. I didn’t want to relinquish that power or right to anyone but myself, and maybe you are in the same situation. The world we live in constantly preaches self-indulgence; it tells us we only live once, so we should do what we want, when we want. But as Christians, we know this life isn’t the last we’ll see. The world says live life the way you see fit; you control your life, and no one else. I believe 2 Timothy 3:1–2 ESV describes the current state of our world and how society is trending.
Freedom in Self-Denial
Personally, God has taught me through experience, His Spirit, and His Word how detrimental it is to be a slave to sin. Through it all, God has shown me the benefits of self-denial and the freedom it brings. At the end of our lives, we will all face judgment for how we lived (Romans 14:12). Are you willing to keep living outside what God has called each of us to (Matthew 16:26 NLT)?
