“By myself, I can do nothing.” It would seem that if there were ever a person who DIDN’T need to say that, it would be Jesus. Yet, He said it. It goes without saying then, that we should be a people who follow our King’s example and become nothing in our own eyes, and in the eyes of the world.
By our flesh and our striving, we will achieve only that which is temporary… that which will not withstand the refining fires of judgment at the end of this age. It is only the things that are born of the Father… born of the Kingdom of God that will stand. All of our plans, strategizing, and best intentions will amount to little more than ash if they are not truly heaven born.
"I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” Such a King is worth following. Such a King is worth losing everything for. In this simple yet profound declaration, our Lord sums up what is at the heart of His apostolic authority…His apostolic perfection. “I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
It would appear that Jesus’ death to self was not limited to His sacrifice on the cross, but encompassed every waking moment. What would my life look like if I truly lived that way? What would the church look like if we truly lived that way?
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV)
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