“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

“I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” 1 Cor. 15:31

COMMENTS: Dying to self refers in part to self – sacrifice to free up time and resources to help others with motive of service Christ out of a desire to please and respond to His sacrifice and love for us personally.  Have you ever had someone do something especially kind for you and you wanted to respond in kind?  I’m sure there are more examples than you can count and certainly more than you remember.  We shouldn’t take them for granted nor discourage such actions.  But those doing so in order to get something back, even a thank you can spoil the blessing such actions can get.  God wants us to sacrifice for others without a selfish motive but knowing He will honor our good deeds even or especially when others don’t.   Well dying to self not only involves sacrifice for others but also starving our selfish – prideful nature by ignoring it’s nudgings and appetites.  By starving it, we allow it our carnal selfish prideful self to grow weak and die.  But it doesn’t die easy without kicking and screaming because satan feeds it as long as he can but sustaining food for it comes from us, not him.  Well, we don’t have the strength nor motive to kill it ourselves.   We need Christ’s help and strength.  We need Him also to give us wisdom and discernment to be aware of tricks our carnal nature and satan will use to tempt us to feed that nature even when we may not be aware we are doing that.

So here are some examples to shows us ways of dying to self.   They will encourage and help you think of others as well as become more aware of need to do so too.

1. Follow Christ’s life example and follow His teachings in daily conduct and interaction with others in public but also in private.
2. Follow God’s ways even when world teaches and does opposite and doing so even when criticized for doing so.
3. Going somewhere or visiting someone God’s nudges you to when don’t want to.
4. Saying no to a relationship you want but know God doesn’t.
5. Giving up a dream or goal because God is nudging you to go in a different direction.
6. Show love and forgiveness to someone who hurt us because of His love and forgiveness shown to us.
7. Do something kind for someone who has treated us badly because that is what Jesus taught and showed us by His own conduct.
8. Helping someone in need using money or time we were planning on using for our own enjoyment.
9. Asking God to shows us the false gods we worship and then devoting time spent enjoying those gods instead worshipping and praying and in devotion with Christ.
10. Giving up something we want that God is convicting us to give up.
11. Choosing to love and show kindness and spend some time with someone we don’t like or feel comfortable around.
12. Praying and seeking answers in scripture instead of following our own will or reasoning abilities when making choices. Waiting for His council before making those choices.
13. Persevering in difficult relationships and leaning more in prayer and devotion to God instead of giving up. Marriages, relationships with children, jobs, and difficulties in school are some examples.
14. Caring for family pets when they get older or not so easy to care for instead of disposing of them at shelters or worse.
15. Going the extra mile for someone we’d rather not because of other obligations or because we’d rather do something else.
16. Making changes in our lives that honor Christ especially when involves giving up something we want to hold on to or do something we don’t want to.
17. Moving to places God is directing us when we prefer to stay where are or go elsewhere.
18. Choosing to humble ourselves when our pride wants to show off or deny sin or foolish choices we done or made. Taking credit when it is deserved more by others.
19. Acting and living as a servant of God with a servant’s attitude instead of following our own wants and desires, expecting others to serve us.
20. Reaching out to share the Gospel with others even when feel shy doing so.
21. Confronting others, as God guides us, when we’d rather go the other way or ignore their missteps or inappropriate actions or words.
22. Choose to lay aside anger or bitterness and choose to show love and compassion and forgiveness.
23. Choosing to trust Jesus instead of ourselves or others when making a minor or major choice.
24. Confessing or admitting we need help to God and to others when struggling either with work or with a particular weakness or temptation or sin. Especially when pride wants us to remain silent and struggle alone.
25. Praying to God for wisdom and be willing to receive and follow that wisdom instead of following our own desires or what the world dictates. Also includes waiting for that wisdom.

These examples are general in nature but hopefully will stimulate reflection and specific examples for you, as they are for me.  Also finding someone who we can be accountable to.  That someone needs to be the Holy Spirit but often is helpful to have someone trustworthy with “flesh on” to be accountable to as well.  AMEN!

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