Daily Devotional
Word of the Day
Self Has To Die
Pastor Scott
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
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"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."
(Romans 6:6)
What does the cross mean to you? Is it just a symbol that hangs around your neck? Or is it a daily goal to crucify self, to cause this flesh to understand there will be a price paid? "Don't even think about expressing your opinion, self." We do need to talk to our old man and remind him constantly that he no longer has any power. The old man has been crucified and the body of sin destroyed, that henceforth we no longer serve sin, Romans 6 tells us. This old man, this old body, has been crucified and destroyed. That word "destroyed" doesn't mean annihilated, but to be made powerless, put under, and over powered. The body of sin is now under the power of the regenerated spirit man, no longer having the capacity to rule. You can put the old man under every time, by choosing righteousness, by choosing the light, by choosing self-crucifixion, reckoning (putting to the account) the old man dead.
"You are dead. You are no longer the supreme power. You have no right to dominate my life."
It is a choice. It's how we deal with the flesh in every area of our lives. It's like in the morning, you tell self, "Get out of the bed." When self says, "Let me have just five more minutes," does he just want five more minutes? Don't even entertain that voice. If you have a snooze alarm, forget it. You ought to hook up a 220-volt to your snooze alarm! Don't even give flesh a chance. That's how you deal with the old man. Have you thought about going on a diet or decided to go on a diet? You either never got around to it or it lasted a day or a week. But then have you one day finally looked in the mirror and said, "That's enough!"? If you want to know which mirror will cause you to stay on your diet, it's not the one in your bathroom; it's the Word, the one that says, "Your flesh is out of control, sin is dominating your life, and it's time to be obedient. It's time to bring the flesh under." To honor God I choose to kill you, Mr. Self; you are going under. It becomes a quality decision and a matter of obeying God.
You don't need to be in control of your life; you need to lose your life. The decision is to be out of control. I don't mean self ruling; I mean Jesus ruling. For me to live is Christ, and to perpetually, continually, daily die is gain. It's the decisions to honor God, to live contrary to our own fleshly appetites, whatever they might be. I happen to mention physical dieting, and that's an easy one to pick on because it's obvious and many of us can relate to it. Those of you that are overweight have a visible problem that everybody can see. But you are in no worse shape than the guy that's full of pride and has compulsion to go to the gym to work out. He's under as much bondage in the flesh as you are. Bodily exercise profits a little, but it just profits a little. This body is going to die. You might be able to somehow deal with gravity and aging, but it will get you! Let's work on the inner man. Let's pursue the eternal.
What about the person that's pursuing avarice or the person that's pursuing worth through his job or his accomplishments? We all are battling our own battles, but we all have to go to the same cross. Regardless of how the cross expresses itself, in fitness or in fatness, it's still about self, and self has to die.