What Jesus Said About Total Surrender and Death to SelfSample

The Cross Must Go Deeper in Our Lives (3)

The cross should purify my way of life and make it holy; it should determine my behavior and guide my thoughts. The cross should make people see Christ in me.

The cross asks me to come to a place where my nationality, rights, theology, language, culture, and human rights are not more important than my allegiance to Jesus.

Obedience: Is the cross going deep enough in your life? Ask the Holy Spirit to apply the cross deeper in your own life.

A young man approached the famous evangelist, D.L. Moody, asking, "What does it mean to die to self?" Moody stood up and walked out of the door. The young man followed him. Moody walked to the cemetery. He stopped next to one of the graves and ordered the young man to slander the man buried in the grave. The young man was surprised and did not want to do it because he did not even know the person who had been buried there. Moody continued to encourage him to slander the person, and eventually, the young man said some nasty things about the man.

Then Moody told him to tell the man who was buried in the grave what a good man he had been and to flatter him. The young man was now totally bewildered. Finally, he managed to say a few words of praise.

Then Moody asked, "What did the man do when you said those terrible things?" "Nothing," replied the young man, "because he is dead!" Then Moody asked, "What did the man do when you flattered him?" The young man replied, "Mr. Moody, the man is dead! He did nothing when I praised him." To this, Moody replied, "This is what it means to die of self: You have to be dead to yourself and what people think of you."

Obedience: Ask the Holy Spirit to apply the cross deeper in your own life. Be specific.