Recently, I have been stumbling across posts that emphasize one thing: dying to self everyday.
It not only sounds difficult but it truly is difficult.
Wai Jia (I wrote about her before) in one of her blog posts, talked about how we cannot be anything we want to be no matter how great and seemingly harmless that sound. Dreams are not supposed to be as big as we want them to be but should be how God wanted it to be, at His perfect timing, exactly how He wants it.
Rica Bonifacio, on the other hand, talked about the single qualification for a future spouse: he should be able to be willing to die to himself every day.
This podcast by Oscar Muriu during the Every Nation World Conference held in South Africa, reiterated what Paul has been talking about in his letters to the churches those days: every follower of Christ must know and understand in her heart that her life is not hers anymore, but it is Christ's.
After reading Rica's article, I asked myself: Can I really do THAT? I mean everyday? Somehow I began toying with the idea that being a single my whole life may not be such a bad idea after all. Being used to making and owning my own decisions since I graduated from college would mean that I only had to consult myself when it comes to things about my career and what I do with my time and money. It was only when I entered full time ministry, that I really started to consult Jesus even with the smallest details of my life like what would I write about or what would I say to this person when we meet.
So even though I have decided to surrender every single area of my life to Jesus, it is the word DAILY that is key here. To surrender every single area of our lives to Jesus DAILY is what He has asked us to do and that is a never-ending journey and walking in faith.
While it does sound difficult, it also sounds more liberating because our God is a good, mighty and faithful God and He would never leave us. He also has the best plans for us so we know that we will never be at the losing end. We gain something far more valuable and 100x better when we lose something for the sake of Jesus.
So it is the dying to self that is required, and it also the dying to self that at the end of the day liberates us all the more to truly be who we are meant to be.
It not only sounds difficult but it truly is difficult.
Wai Jia (I wrote about her before) in one of her blog posts, talked about how we cannot be anything we want to be no matter how great and seemingly harmless that sound. Dreams are not supposed to be as big as we want them to be but should be how God wanted it to be, at His perfect timing, exactly how He wants it.
Rica Bonifacio, on the other hand, talked about the single qualification for a future spouse: he should be able to be willing to die to himself every day.
This podcast by Oscar Muriu during the Every Nation World Conference held in South Africa, reiterated what Paul has been talking about in his letters to the churches those days: every follower of Christ must know and understand in her heart that her life is not hers anymore, but it is Christ's.
After reading Rica's article, I asked myself: Can I really do THAT? I mean everyday? Somehow I began toying with the idea that being a single my whole life may not be such a bad idea after all. Being used to making and owning my own decisions since I graduated from college would mean that I only had to consult myself when it comes to things about my career and what I do with my time and money. It was only when I entered full time ministry, that I really started to consult Jesus even with the smallest details of my life like what would I write about or what would I say to this person when we meet.
So even though I have decided to surrender every single area of my life to Jesus, it is the word DAILY that is key here. To surrender every single area of our lives to Jesus DAILY is what He has asked us to do and that is a never-ending journey and walking in faith.
While it does sound difficult, it also sounds more liberating because our God is a good, mighty and faithful God and He would never leave us. He also has the best plans for us so we know that we will never be at the losing end. We gain something far more valuable and 100x better when we lose something for the sake of Jesus.
So it is the dying to self that is required, and it also the dying to self that at the end of the day liberates us all the more to truly be who we are meant to be.
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20
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