The Death of Self.

     "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit.
     "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
     "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him."
                                     John 12:24-26 NASB

     There can be no spiritual power, no true usefulness to God, except that we die to ourselves. The world is full of busy religious people all doing things for God and His kingdom, but we see so little power, so little results, so little of the presence of God in our activities.
     Jesus tells us that a seed will not bear fruit unless it is dead and buried. We also will not bear fruit unless we are dead and buried spiritually speaking.
     He puts His finger on the problem. It is the love of life that keeps us useless for His glory. Multitudes of professing believers are caught up in the everyday pursuit of life and happiness. We live for the temporal needs of this life. We are concerned for food and clothing, and put God's kingdom in the back part of our minds. This is the exact opposite of what Jesus calls us to do (Matt 6:25-34).
     You see, Jesus calls us to hate our lives in this world. He is telling us that our plans, our agendas, our pleasures and desires, must go. It is not about us at all. As long as we retain self in any form, we cannot truly follow Him. We cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24).
     Too many professed Christians are running around with self in control of their lives. To be sure, many of them live moral, upright lives. They have put away sins of every kind, but they, like the rich young ruler, still have an idol in their hearts (Luke 18:18-24). It is this idea of happiness, the "American dream." We seem to want to be comfortable, to retain at least some control of our lives and circumstances, to have our needs fully met, and have some pleasure as well. We seek higher education, find fulfillment in sports and entertainment, go to Church and get involved with the many programs and activities that are promoted there, but it is all for us, and about us!
     Paul said that he gloried in the cross of Christ, through which the world was crucified to him, and he to the world (Galatians 6:14). We all believe that Jesus was crucified on the cross for us, but have we been placed on the cross as well? We might not teach this today, but it is biblical nonetheless. Paul states that He has been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer Paul in charge, but the life of Christ is now lived out by faith (Galatians 2:20). In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul states that as believers we have been crucified with Christ so that our sinful nature would be destroyed. We find freedom from sin through the cross (Romans 6:6).
     The point is that dead men have no plans, no purposes, no agendas, nothing. Once nailed to that cross, it is all over. You cannot get down to go to your job, you cannot get down to go home to your families, hobbies, vacations, entertainments, or anything else. Even our plans and desires as relating to Christian service must be forsaken for God, and His higher plans for us. It is over, and this is where God calls us to be. Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Mark 8:34-35). We are no longer our own. This is the call to surrender all, to completely and forever renounce all we have and are, and follow Christ fully. No more self, but Christ is all.
     This is where we are filled with power and purpose. We have to get rid of self, so that We can be filled with Him. If you had murky water in a container that was unfit to drink, wouldn't you first pour it out before you filled it with fresh clean water? Likewise, God wants us out of the way so to speak, so that He might live through us in power.
     Now it can be all about Him. It is no longer our will, but His. It is no longer our plans and purposes that we live for, but His. We are no longer struggling within the confines of our limited strength, but operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as a seed falls into the ground and grows into a fruit bearing plant, now we too can bear fruit for God.
     Fear keeps us back. We worry about not being in control, but is not God far wiser than we are in making decisions? We worry about food and clothing, but will He not take care of us (Matt 6:33)? God has our highest good in mind. He will not leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). God has a higher call upon your life than you might realize. Will you not yield to His call today?