The Neighbourhood as Told by MatthewSample

Are you willing to give up the ‘good’ thing, for the God thing? 

Matthew 16:24 says, ‘Deny yourself and follow Christ.’ This command seems to go against everything the world teaches us today, ‘put yourself first, you are most important, be kind to yourself, love yourself.’ The Bible tells a different story.

God calls us, followers of Him, to a higher calling. We need to die to our selfish ambition, our fleshly desires, and follow Jesus. We are called to love Jesus with all of our heart and soul, because He is most important. We are called to put Jesus first in all areas of our lives. 

Denying ourselves does not mean we treat ourselves harshly. It means that we take our hands off the steering wheel and allow God to be in the drivers seat. It means rather than being led by our own selfish ambitions, we allow God to outwork His perfect plans and purposes for our lives. It means we put aside our own dreams and desires, to follow God’s calling. It means letting go of the ‘good’ thing, so we can grab hold of the God thing. 

It can be really scary letting go and allowing God to take control. I don’t know about you, but I often find myself desperately grasping for the steering wheel. The reality is, sometimes we don’t want to give up what we have because it seems so good. But be encouraged today, that God’s plan for us is far superior to our own. When we lay our lives down and put our whole trust in God, he will do immeasurably more than we could ever dream or imagine. 

The Bible says that ‘those who want to save their lives will lose it, but those who lose their lives for God will find it.’ This was an important reminder for me that the things of this world will pass away, money, jobs, appearances, everything. If I spend my life sowing into myself, my dreams, my ambitions, my desires, all will pass away. But when I give God the steering wheel, and follow His call for my life, I am sowing into eternity. 

Let’s put God first and trust that from a ‘good’ thing, He will bring a God thing. 

Prayer: Thank You God for all You do in my life. Help me to die to myself, put my selfish ambitions aside and turn away from my fleshly desires. Lord, I want to give complete control of my life to You. I trust that You will turn the ‘good’ things in my life, to God things. In Jesus Name, Amen.