Devotional Day 17: Willingness To Die Everyday

• 1 Corinthians 15:30-31 : "And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day--I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord."
• Matthew 16:24-25 : "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
• In order to follow Christ down a strong spiritual path we have to die to ourselves everyday. The sinful worldly part of us has to die to be more like Him.

     I like in the verse from Corinthians above how it speaks of dying everyday. It's a bit morbid the way it's said, but still valid none the less. Each day we walk out our doors we take a risk. We take a risk of uncertainty of what will happen in the world around us. We endanger our lives, so why can't we take a risk with our spiritual self? Faith and sacrifice is part of a Christ like walk. We have to sacrifice the things our worldly body thinks we need. Our sinful nature and human wants have to die in order for us to take the spiritual risk in Christ through faith.

     This same message is displayed in Matthew 16:24-25. Jesus tells His disciples to deny themselves if they wish to follow Him. If you sacrifice your spiritual walk with Christ for worldly pleasures then surely your life, your soul, will be lost. Yet, He also says those who would sacrifice the life they live on this earth for Him, just as He did us, shall find their true life through Christ Himself. It's all about taking leaps of faith and sacrificing your contentment for something more. We have to understand that the things we have here, material things, superficial things, and so on, are not eternal. As much as we think we need certain things, we truly don't. As children of God it's important for us to realize our priorities in our needs. The spiritual walk we have with Christ and the faith we hold on to needs to be at the top of the list. 

                                                         Questions/Application

• What material sacrifices do you think you can give in order to strengthen your time with God? (For example: less TV in exchange for quiet time with Him)
• What do you think your response would be if you were asked to sacrifice your life for Christ?