Die to self

John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

As we have been through the Easter season, and as I have meditated upon the death and resurrection of our Lord, I have been contemplating all the implications for believers. They are many. Certainly we have the hope of eternal life in heaven to look forward to as a result of the death and resurrection of Christ. However, there are tremendous implications for this life as well.

Jesus died on the cross. He had to die in order to be raised from the dead. From His death came life!! And the bible says that Jesus was the "first fruits". Through this one who first conquered death, hell, and the grave many will conquer those things as well. Fruit comes from death.

The same is true of the believer. The believer produces fruit because he in a sense has died. He has been crucified with Christ in the sense that he is dead to self, and dead to this world. He is not interested any longer in selfish pursuits or ambitions. He has died to those things and crucified his own wants and desires. The chief aim of his life is now to please and glorify Christ. Christ is now on the throne of his life calling the shots.....The counsel of Christ is sought on all of life's decisions because the main interest is to be right in the center of God's will. The fruit of righteousness is the result. It only happens when there is a death. When a person dies to self, they are raised up by Christ to do HIS will.

That is what Jesus meant when He said that you love your life you will lose it. Jesus is painting a picture of the born again person. When a person is truly born again, they die to self. Sadly, some are too in love with themselves and their own agenda in life to ever be born again. Some of them even attend church. They attend church, but outside of church, life is pretty much about what they want, not what God wants. They may not born again. They may be lost church attenders.

But even for the truly saved crucifying the flesh continues to be a daily decision. That is why Jesus said you have to take up your cross "daily" and follow Him. It is a new decision every day for the believer to crucify the flesh or you will back slide on God.

Have you crucified your flesh today?