Principles For Dying To Selfishness

Humiliation is the very character of the Christian life, and we must appreciate every opportunity of walking in humility. 

Hence when reproaches, unkind treatment, poverty, loneliness, persecution, mental distresses, seeming failure in our work, disappointments, deep perplexities, or any disagreeable thing comes to us, we are to calmly face these things, as appropriate occasions for self-denial. 

We see the omnipotence of God rule over us in our circumstances. 

We can thereby in these humiliations more clearly manifest the character of Christ and walk in the will of God.

Another effectual principle for self-denial is to be exceedingly careful not to receive human honors or praise into our hearts. 

If we are worthy of having enemies, who will seek opportunities of humiliating us, we will also have some friends who will love and honor us. 

As a rule, the more bitter our enemies are, the stronger our friends will love us, and there will be times when we will be honored in spite of ourselves. 

But if we open our hearts to receive this honor and in our thoughts feed upon it as a social honey...or if we allow human praise to inflate our thoughts, it will instantly breed a human self-esteem, and this becomes a hot-bed of the self-righteous pride.

It requires great humiliation and divine reconciliation for evangelists, preachers, teachers, and singers, and writers, not to stumble and fall at this point.

In everything we are to seek nothing for our own selfish purposes, and seek rather the will of God in everything we think and do. 

This is to become a daily habit of our motives and intentions...

To distrust our fleshly impulses...

To look to the Scriptures for the most minute guidance in all things.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Mark 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

It is only when we are daily crucified to the carnal nature that we can bear our daily cross in the true spirit of our Master. 

It is by the denial or death of sinful selfishness that we enter the state of perfect obedience in which the daily trials and crosses can be borne in deep fellowship with Jesus. 

The very order of the words our Saviour uses, indicates principles for our daily experience....

Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Here we have:

First, an attitude of crucifixion of the carnal nature, the mortification of the flesh...

Then the enlightened soul bearing its daily sufferings and hindrances by faith...

Which brings it into a better sustained fellowship with Christ.

It is this daily cross which assists in our practical sanctification, according to our love of obedience for the glory of God.

~G. D. Watson