Losing Sight of Myself

The last BLOG post ended with two questions to ponder:

1.  What self-interests do I need to let go of in order to follow Jesus Christ with my whole heart?
2. What would my life look like if I were to lose sight of myself?

If you have not yet had a chance to ponder your responses, I invite you to do so now.
In pondering my own responses and seeking the Lord’s guidance regarding His insights on my life, I have three large areas I need to continue surrendering in order to more completely follow Christ with my whole heart.

1.  I need to let go of my perceived need to be financially secure.
   
2.  I need to let go of my perceived need to have good physical and mental health.
   
3.  I need to let go of my perceived need to be a fully independent person so that I do not perceive myself as a burden to others.
   

If I were to truly lose sight of myself, I would be wholly focused on Christ’s cause. I would not focus on financial matters such as retirement planning, saving for an expensive vacation, or acquiring the newest, latest and greatest thing on the consumer market. I would not allow my time to be consumed with fighting for the best possible physical and mental health. And I would have no time to wallow in self-pity regarding my number one negative core self believe that I am “a bother, an inconvenience, and in the way.”
 
If I were to truly lose sight of myself in exchange for following Christ with my whole heart, I would not have time for any of this rubbish! Instead, I would be acutely aware that I could be martyred at any time for my zealous promotion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I would understand that I can trust God to meet my basic needs. And beyond that level of financial provision, the things that come my way are for sharing with those in legitimate need and for spreading the Gospel.

For me to deny myself means I am not focused on how to have “my best life now”! In fact, it is not about having my life at all. It is about taking up the cross and following Christ. It is about Christ’s life.

Scripture says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.” Mathew 10:24 (NASB) If I am to be a servant of my Master, Jesus Christ, why do I think I will live in a better house than He did, have better transportation than He did, have more financial security than He did, have better physical and mental health than He did, and so on and so on?
 
Jesus was disliked by many.  Jesus’ financial situation was as such that He pulled a coin from a fish to pay taxes. Jesus gave His own life to save me from my sins. This death came about as a result of challenging the status quo of the religious leaders of His day; Leaders who had laid their own cultural biases over the top of God’s Word to make it what they wanted it to be.
 
THOUGHT TO PONDER
1. What American cultural biases has my culture laid over the top of God’s Word to make it what they want it to be?