the shadow of denial

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
~ Matthew 16:24

Peter’s denial of his Lord and Savior was outright and immediately obvious. That is often not the case with those over eighteen years of age who think in terms of being "adult." Many times this timely, yet untimely independence seems to come with the logic that since I can make my own decisions what I think is right.

For example, within the past year when talking with someone it was stated that the individual was sleeping with a fiancé. When this was questioned, the response was, "Really, what do you expect? I’m over thirty years old."

This raises two questions for each adult Christian "What is denial for me?" and "How does this affect the parameters of my behavior?" Interestingly three gospel passages (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23) quote Jesus and give an emphasis for denial with these words "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

This calls for an examination of our lives to curb spoken and other behaviors of self-indulgence. As in the case of Peter, it raises endless questions about our love for Christ and living in our world. Some example questions might be "How can I impact the unnecessary killings in the United States? What are the possibilities of eating less and helping to feed the hungry in other parts of the world? How can I deal with some inconveniences of recycling and better use the God-given materials of this earth? Is my message about my Savior spoken with accuracy and clarity? Do my relationships reflect the love of Christ?"

Let us examine our answers in the light of God’s forgiveness and reply, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love You."

~ Marjorie Raess