What does it mean to die to oneself?
I had no clue the first month of being on the field. I kept hearing it and I thought “I guess that’s what I’m doing.” I mean I was there serving and living out of a backpack. I wasn’t fully dying to myself though. Dying to oneself means giving up the things you want for the benefit of the Kingdom. That could be as easy as saying yes to something you normally wouldn’t enjoy to show the love of Jesus to someone.
So I ask you, are you dying to yourself? Are you giving up worldly things and desires to further the kingdom of God? To be honest, I wasn’t, not fully.
I have often been told, “Don’t give money to the homeless because they may buy alcohol or drugs with it.” Or “Don’t talk to strangers because they could hurt you.” The Lord convicted me time and time again in Mongolia and then again in China. I realized I had not been surrendering everything to the Lord. I had a false sense of protection in my life back home. I had a mindset of fear instilled in my brain and that was keeping me from doing some of the Lords work. I was choosing to hold on to things that I thought kept me safe. I needed to surrender my comfort and my worldly desires to the Lord. I needed to be bold.
I tend to hold on to things and not let them go. So you can imagine it was a challenge when the Lord wanted me to surrender areas of my life to him that were comfortable for me. I had to change my mindset to that of His Kingdom. Are my worldly possessions and desires going to eternity with me? Of course not. Do they bring me closer to the Lord? Not at all. So, why do I struggle with letting go? I thought these things had significant meaning to me. I brought things with me on this mission that I thought I couldn’t live without. Turns out I can. Surprise surprise! The value I had in those things was a false sense of security, but in reality my security should’ve been in Christ. If I’m being honest—I wasn’t surrendering what I had because I was afraid he wouldn’t provide.
By surrendering my life into His hands, I have been able to know what it is to walk in obedience and give up comfort. To say the small yes that leads to big promises. The Lord has used me to serve those in need, evangelize to people through translators and build relationships with strangers we have met on the street. Talk about stepping out of my comfort zone! The thing is— I LOVE IT. Every second of every day.
I have been reading in the book of Acts and it says, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” It shot straight through my soul and I heard the Holy Spirit say “die unto yourself.” Will I ever know how someone uses the money, food, or clothing that I have given to them? Probably not, but what if what I give leads them closer to the Lord. This is something the Lord called me to be obedient in.
The Bible speaks on showing unusual kindness. I want to encourage those reading this blog to go out today and show unusual kindness. Die to oneself and allow the Lord to lead you down a path of surrender and obedience. The truth is- the race is a place where you are dying to yourself everyday. You are dying to the ways of your flesh to live a life resembling the Lord. Is it hard? YES, it is. The wants and desires we have are instilled in us through our cultural norms. It’s easy to want the next best thing or opportunity, but are you living for yourself or dying to yourself to better the Kingdom? When you live in a community of people you care for – you die to yourself for the sake of others. You do it because we are called to be like Christ. So what are you living for? Are you dying unto yourself for His Kingdom?
Pastor Rich says it best — “your capacity grows the more you release” – meaning the more you release things of this world, the more the Lord allows you to receive what he has for you. He’ll take you deeper in love. Deeper in understanding. Deeper in faith. Deeper in all things good.
