Command 28 : Deny Yourself | Day 191

Practice Denial of Self!

It came as a total surprise to the young wife. Months before their first wedding anniversary, her husband presented her with an expensive-looking little box. She opened it and squealed with delight. There it was!—the exquisite diamond necklace that she had longed to have but knew they could not afford.

"How did you manage to buy this?" she asked with great admiration. He explained, "Since we got married, I have been fasting during every lunch hour. With the money I saved I was able to buy the necklace." Was his lunchtime fasting "self-denial" or "denial of self"? Actually, it could have been either one, depending on his underlying motive.

Self-denial is giving up a cherished item for personal gain. Denial of self is a loving expression of total surrender to God.

Abstinence from food or pleasures is admirable; however, it does not guarantee that there is genuine love behind it. Paul pointed out, “Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity [love], it profiteth me nothing" (I Corinthians 13:3).

Self-denial is usually characterized by temporarily setting aside something we enjoy for our own ultimate benefit, but denial of self flows out of surrendering the right to have any personal enjoyment. Whatever enjoyments then come are not what we deserve, but are special gifts from God for which we are grateful.

When we exercise denial of self, others experience life, as Paul explained in the following passage: “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you” (II Corinthians 4:10-12).

Self-denial is based on self-determined limits of giving. Denial of self is based on love without limits.

Hudson Taylor practiced self-denial while preparing for mission work in China. He would go without meals, sleep on the floor, and generously give away what little money he had. These disciplines helped him develop a greater trust in God and were very useful when he reached the interior of China. However, after many years of ministry he was often plagued by inner turmoil, anger, and frustration.

One day, everything changed! God used a letter Hudson received from a Godly friend to open his eyes to the importance of abiding in Christ, just as the branch abides in the vine, so that God can give power to bear fruit. The spirit of God illuminated his understanding of this great truth, and it transformed his life and ministry. People saw a different Hudson Taylor as he rediscovered the all-sufficiency of Christ, and his ministry flourished as he rested in the work of Christ.

If our denial of self is to be effective, we must remember that in ourselves we can do nothing, but as we deny ourselves Christ is able to do all things through us. Are we actively experiencing this truth in our everyday lives? If not, we can begin by totally surrendering ourselves to the will and work of Christ in us—the hope of glory!