One of the most difficult of Jesus’ teachings is that his followers must practice self-denial. This goes completely against our human nature. We tend to be quite selfish from a very young age. One of a toddler’s very first words is “Mine!” It is difficult for most youngsters to learn to share and to wait for their turn.

As we grow older, the tendency to be overly devoted to ourselves remains a problem for many of us.  Even if we understand that the Bible says to put others ahead of ourselves, the temptation to look out for number one is always there. The fact that most of you readily understood what I meant by that slang term “number one” is a testimony to the truth that self-denial is a difficult task.

Yet that is what Jesus commands us to do. In Matt.16:24-27 we read: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.’”

Jesus’ teaching on self-denial contradicts the “prosperity gospel”—also called the “health and wealth gospel” –that has been put forth by some preachers. The Bible never promises that followers of Jesus will always be rich and healthy. As a matter of fact, Scripture says over and over that Christians will have a hard time of it. Jesus himself says, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

Jesus says that we must take up our cross and follow him. The cross represents a death sentence. To follow Jesus, we must die to ourselves and live for him. This death takes place in the waters of baptism where we are buried with Jesus and raised to live a new life (Rom.6:4). We must die to ourselves to live for God and for others. This begins a lifestyle of self-denial. We give up our own vision for our life and exchange it for the life that God has planned for us—a life of self-sacrifice. We walk that extra mile that no one would expect us to walk. We forgive wrongs that others might deem unforgiveable. We perform good deeds for those who would be perceived to be our enemies. These are just a few of the many ways we deny ourselves so that we can live for Jesus and for others.

It is a hard life, this life of self-denial. No one should ever think that following Jesus is an easy thing to do. If living the Christian life never seems to place any demands on you, you are not doing it right! Perhaps we all should make a careful check every day to see if there is indeed a cross on our back!

Jesus would never ask us to do something that he wouldn’t do himself. He set the example of self-denial for us when he gave up his place in heaven to come to earth and die on a cross! (Phil.2:5-8). If we want to show that we are truly thankful for the salvation he granted us with his sacrifice, we too will live a life of sacrifice and self-denial.