Posted on Sat, Nov 16, 2013 at 8:09 a.m. (EST) & 06:39 p.m. (IST), OCT-NOV 2013 Edition
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“Deny Everyday Now Yourself!
(D.E.N.Y)”
Ramesh C. Reddy
SCRIPTURE:
OBSERVATION:
I decided to look at point one
today.
INTERPRETATION:
Right after Jesus rebuked Peter by
saying, 'Get behind me, Satan!' 'You do not have
in mind the things of God, but the things of men', Jesus makes a
profound statement to the crowds regarding 'denying oneself'.
It goes to the heart of having in
mind the things of God than the things of men. It comes down to
refraining from satisfying one's own desires or needs. Instead, the
crowds and disciples are reminded to satisfy the desires of God and God
alone which Jesus claimed to be. This also meant refraining from satisfying one's own needs
compared to the needs Jesus knows we need to have.
IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my
own life?
This also reminded me of the time spent in Hebrews 4:1-11 last night
with Sarah, Chloe,
Mike, Daniel,
Faith, ChenXi,
and Dan discussing about
"Let us therefore, make every effort to enter that
rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of
disobedience!" (Hebrews 1:11) which basically is a call to deny
ourselves and put our rest in the Lord Jesus. The effort here is the
conscious surrender of ourselves to the Lord Jesus so we can find our
rest in the Lord. That in itself is a choice I need to always make. I
was reminded of the time we spent talking about Joshua and Caleb's
efforts compared to the Israelites who did not make it into the Promised
Land. While Joshua and Caleb denied themselves and chose to put their
trust in the Lord which was an effort on their part to consciously
choose the Lord over the things of man, the Israelites focused on the
things of man.
"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for
yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors
served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land
you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD!"
(Joshua 24:15, NIV)
In the same way, to find my rest in the Lord, I need to make an effort
always to choose the Lord over myself. The effort is to that extent
putting God over ourselves believing in the Word of God to save us by
His grace instead of on our own self efforts. "It
is by grace we have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ and not of
our own works lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:9). Putting
our faith in Jesus Christ is to deny ourselves.
I was also reminded of what Daniel shared regarding the Bible verse in
John 6:28-29 that Dan had shared with him: "Then
they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus
answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
Work is effort and my faith in the Lord Jesus reveals my work for
Him by my denial of self. Hence, I can find my rest in the Lord.
I believe Jesus is saying to me, 'Ramesh, if you would come
after me, you need to deny yourself' otherwise why come after me.'
Jesus wants my actions to reflect that I am
following the things of God than the things of men. Jesus wants me to deny myself to
follow Him. For that to happen, I need to take the help of Jesus daily
and focus on Him and Him alone by spending time in prayer, reading and
meditating on His Word to equip, enable, and empower me through the
transforming power of the Holy Spirit working in my life, and being part
of a community of believers to encourage one another to live for
Jesus. It is His
grace that justifies me and it is His grace that sanctifies me so I
can be transformed by His grace. Thank you Jesus.
That can only happen when I realize daily that
I cannot save myself from my fleshly desires that are the result of the
deadly virus known as sin that specializes in hedonistic principles
commandeered by Satan. This so reminds me of
Romans 7:14-25 which
is a prayer I have prayed so many times. Right after that, I have the
promise of Romans 8!
Praise the Lord.
If I cannot save myself then
someone has to do the saving and this is where my Messiah, the Anointed
One, my Savior comes into the picture. The crowds and the disciples had
Jesus right with them to help them follow Him. To the disciples, right
before rebuking Peter, Jesus had shared about being killed and being
raised to life on the third day. I
could not follow Jesus Christ on my own if it were not for Jesus
intervening in my life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ who had no sin became sin for us that
we can have the righteousness of God.
Jesus absorbed all my sin upon the
cross at Calvary and released His precious cleansing blood for all
humanity to take as its antidote for this deadly virus known as sin. The
donor has been provided in Christ.
Now the question became whether I
would accept the donor's blood or think I could follow Jesus on my own
because His teachings are so good. I came to realize that I cannot
follow Jesus on my own and deny myself no matter how much I love Jesus'
teachings until I accept His sacrificial death on the cross for me and
know that only the Holy Spirit can help me bear fruit that makes others
see that I am a follower of Christ. Sanctification is a process and I
need Jesus' help daily.
Because it is through His death on
the cross, Jesus made a way for me to follow Him. What Jesus' death
accomplished on the cross and my acceptance of His death and
resurrection is what began the process of Salvation in my life.
So when I was a Hindu I could never say that I was
following Jesus Christ because following Jesus Christ is more than
following His teachings. I can
believe Jesus' teachings are so awesome and good that they need to be
followed but I could not really follow Christ without acknowledging
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the life and no
one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)
I praise the Lord for His promises
that we can have the mind of Christ! How awesome is that!
I learned long time ago that the
teachings of Jesus cannot be cherry-picked for my satisfaction and the
two most important things to know are that 'I am a sinner
saved by grace and it is
not of any good works
that I can produce
that God saved me, because all our good works are
like filthy rags to the Lord,
but because God loves me so much
that He does not want me to perish but have Eternal life. God knows the
only way for humanity not to perish is allowing Jesus to become the
bridge for humanity to reach God.
I was separated from God by my sin.
Before I came to Christ, I would wake up in the morning and tell myself
that 'I am going to be good today' and start out with 100 points
expecting to finish of the day with 95 points so I could have a solid
'A' for that day. But, you know what it never happened because there
were always areas in my life where I faltered. It was because of sin the
deadly virus that kept interfering.
As I turned my life over to Christ,
God's Word that says, 'No one is good, not one,
all have fallen short of the glory of God' made so much sense to
me.
I was trying to be good on my own
apart from Christ but I kept faltering and also what I felt being good
was not God's definition of being good since God stated in His Word: 'All your good works are like filthy rags'
They are filthy because sin makes
them filthy. Only the detergent that Christ provided made that filthy
rag white as freshly fallen snow. The detergent was the blood of Christ
in which my body was washed to make me clean. Praise the Lord! I am so thankful for the cross and
what Jesus did for me to save me.
I can deny myself when I focus on Christ
with His help and His help alone. In Christ alone will I glory for
He is my strength and my Salvation so on Solid Rock I can stand and
all else is sinking sand.
I ask you now dear friend, why deny yourself in
the one life you have to live?
Jesus should be our Master. Jesus
can say that friend, when you deny yourself to go after Jesus. As shared
before, that can only truly happen when we realize that sin has
captivated us from following Christ so the issue of sin needs to be
handled first and foremost. This starts with looking to the finished
work of Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to deliver you and me
from the destruction of sin and finished His ultimate work on the cross
by paying the ultimate price. Jesus offered us the antidote on the cross
and allowed us to nail Him there hands and feet. You and I have been
given freedom in Christ because we nailed Him there.
You maybe thinking that I did not
nail Him there because I was not even born then nor was I there. Friend,
Jesus Christ died for the sins of the past, the present, and the future.
His Blood was shed on the cross to provide the antidote for all who
would receive it. Yet, Jesus did not force that antidote upon anyone.
When sin was absorbed by Jesus, that moment I like to think of it as a
small portal being opened for us to receive the Blood of Christ to
purify us from all sin. But we have to receive His blood.
If we choose to go our own way
thinking we have the answers and don't need Christ, we make our own hearts
hardened to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I don't want that for you
friend. Jesus loves you so much that Jesus paid the price for you and
me, coming back to life to save.
Jesus denied Himself and followed
the commands of the Father that we can be saved and He asks you and me
to do the same and deny ourselves and follow Him. To follow Jesus means
to obey His commands. To obey His commands, we have to be in the Word of
God using it as our instruction manual. Everyday, we can have nuggets of
truth to follow.
For example, today being Sat, Nov 16,
2013, I have also read Psalm 16 and Proverbs 16. In Psalm 16, I
learned that "The Lord is my
inheritance, my prize, my food, my drink, and my highest joy. He
guards all that is mine. He counsels me and gives me wisdom in the
night. He tells me what to do. I am always thinking about the Lord
so I never need to stumble or fall!"
What an awesome promise. Thank you Jesus. Then, in Proverbs 16:3, I
learned "Commit your work to the Lord
and it will succeed!"
Of all the sharing, it is really
simple to come to Christ. It starts with acknowledging that a deadly
virus is in your system and has made you act in a way that is contrary
to the Word of God. In essence, you are confessing that there is a
deadly virus inside of you and you need help. When you do that, you
should also have a desire to repent or turn away from those sins. In
other words, you need to have a desire to surrender your life over to
Jesus and do that so He can handle the virus. When you do that, He will
come into your heart and start a transformational change that starts
with His precious blood cleansing you of all your sin. In essence, you
are confessing Jesus is Lord and He alone has the power to do that and
also you are believing in your heart that Jesus is your Savior because
you accepted His saving power in your life knowing Jesus died for your
sin, was buried, and came back to life on the third day to save. You can
be saved friend.
Now is the time of Salvation. Don't
wait thinking some other time you will deny yourself to go after Jesus.
No friend, do it now. No matter where you have been or what you have
done, Jesus loves you. You can come to Him as you are because He already
paid the ransom for your sin. Look to Jesus and deny yourself knowing He
will take care of you.
It won't always be easy but Jesus
will help you friend as He has been helping me. There was a time it was
really hard for me to submit and I was praying about that when Jesus
helped me hear the song, "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. I kept praying those words to the Lord because
at times it is so hard to
let go but I need to let go in areas that are selfish and not
Christ-centered. Only Christ can help me and the more I prayed, the more
I felt relieved. Friend, denying self won't be easy
but when we focus on Christ and loving Him and Him alone, we will be
transformed by the power of His resurrection.
IN SUMMARY APPLICATION
REGARDING D.E.N.Y:
I learned that denying self and asking
Jesus to help me bear fruit will show others that I am a follower of
Christ!
May you always know Jesus Christ
loves you so much and to deny yourself becomes easy when looked at in
the light of the cross.
"Deny
Everyday Now Yourself! (D.E.N.Y)"/Why deny yourself in the one life you
have to live?"
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace,
Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a
life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I
need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround
me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your
presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you
love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek
your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for
your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case.
Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!
(Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)
No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in
and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with
the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend.
You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word
reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you
and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before
moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to
which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be
part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible
believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to
Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who
brings us hope, healing, and help!
No matter who you are, it is not ever too late
to join a Bible-believing church or a college fellowship. I highly
encourage each of you to come to Transformers Small Group on Friday
nights at 7:00 p.m. and Oakland International Fellowship on Sunday
mornings at 9:30 a.m. for prayer, 11:30 a.m. for worship, 10:30 a.m. for
Sunday School, and 12:30 p.m. for fellowship lunch.
May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and
forever! Amen!
Feel free to email
me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com
if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with,
talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is
412-641-9426
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB) |
2013 DEVOTIONALS: Philippians 4:9: "How do you know your P.E.A.C.E is real?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Oct 19, 13, 08:17 a.m.) Philippians 4:9: "What kind of S.O.L.D.I.E.R will you be?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Oct 12, 13, 11:29 a.m.) Psalm 139:13-18: "Who cares for your B.I.R.T.H.D.A.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Oct 05, 13, 1:00 p.m.) Philippians 4:8: "What is your T.H.I.N.K.I.N.G based on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Sept 25, 13, 10:29 a.m.) Philippians 4:6-7: "How do you handle A.N.X.I.E.T.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Sept 21, 13, 08:18 a.m.) Philippians 4:4: "When do you R.E.J.O.I.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Sept 14, 13, 12:36 p.m.) Philippians 4:5: "What measure of G.E.N.T.L.E.N.E.S.S do you have?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Sept 09, 13, 12:03 p.m.) Philippians 4:3: "How have you C.A.M.P.A.I.G.N.E.D for Jesus Christ in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Sept 06, 13, 07:17 a.m.) Philippians 4:2: "How do you respond to a P.L.E.A.D in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Sept 04, 13, 12:00 p.m.) Philippians 4:1: "Where do you S.T.A.N.D on love in your life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Sept 03, 13, 12:00 p.m.) 1 Thessalonians 1:3: "What does your L.A.B.O.R show in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Sept 02, 13, 10:04 a.m.) Philippians 3:18-19: "Why shed your T.E.A.R.S for others in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 21, 13, 08:26 a.m.) Philippians 3:15-17: "Who are what are you willing to P.A.T.T.E.R.N your life after?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 19, 13, 10:08 a.m.) Philippians 3:12-14:"How can you deal with the P.A.S.T in your life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 15, 13, 04:21 a.m.) Philippians 3:1-11: "Why for R.E.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N you need the transaction of the cross?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 14, 13, 05:55 p.m.) Philippians 2:25-30:"When will your H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G begin?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Aug 13, 13, 10:39 a.m.) Philiippians 2:20-24: "How can you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y well in other people's lives?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, Aug 09, 13, 08:38 a.m.) Philippians 2:17-19: "When do you live out your F.A.I.T.H in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Aug 08, 13, 03:19 a.m.) Philippians 2:14-16: "What does your B.E.H.A.V.I.O.R do for others in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 07, 13, 12:03 p.m.) Philippians 2:13: "How do you W.O.R.K out your Salvation?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 05, 13, 01:33 p.m.) Philippians 2:13: "What path have you taken for S.A.L.V.A.T.I.O.N in your life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 05, 13, 01:33 p.m.) Philippians 2:12-13: "What is the point of O.B.E.D.I.E.N.C.E in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Aug 03, 13, 01:28 p.m.) Philippians 2:9-11: "How do you handle the N.A.M.E of Jesus in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, Aug 02, 13, 07:58 a.m.) Philippians 2:8: "What can the C.R.O.S.S do for you in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Aug 01, 13, 08:03 a.m.) Philippians 2:5-7:"How do you match Jesus' A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 31, 13, 10:50 a.m.) Mark 10:6-9: "What does Jesus want for your M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, July 30, 13, 11:24 a.m.) Philippians 2:3-4: "How do you respond to God's C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 29, 13, 09:53 a.m.) Philiippians 2:1-2: "What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, July 27, 13, 11:42 a.m.) Philippians 1:29-30: "How do you handle S.U.F.F.E.R.I.N.G in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, July 26, 13, 10:02 a.m.) Philippians 1:27-28: "How do you C.O.N.D.U.C.T yourself in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 25, 13, 11:17 a.m.) Philippians 1:22-26: "What are your C.H.O.I.C.E.S based on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 24, 13, 09:50 a.m.) Philippians 1:21: "Why D.I.E for Christ?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 22, 13, 3:33 p.m.) Philippians 1:21: "Why L.I.V.E your life to be appreciated by others?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, July 19, 13, 10:20 a.m.) Philippians 1:20: "Where do you need to have C.O.U.R.A.G.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 18, 13, 05:17 a.m.) Philippians 1:19: "Who should you C.A.L.L often in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 17, 13, 09:41 a.m.) Philippians 1:19: "What reason do you have to R.E.J.O.I.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, July 16, 10:23 a.m.) Philippians 1:15-18: "How are your M.O.T.I.V.E.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 15, 04:57 a.m.) Philippians 1:12-14:"What have your C.H.A.I.N.S done to others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 11, 10:40 a.m.) Philippians 1:12: How can you A.D.V.A.N.C.E the Gospel?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 10, 11:46 a.m.) Philippians 1:9-11: "What is your L.O.V.I.N.G response based on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 07, 03:24 a.m.) Philippians 1:7-8: "How can your A.F.F.E.C.T.I.O.N grow towards others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, June 27, 10:21 a.m.) Philippians 1:7-8: "Why can you only be saved by G.R.A.C.E alone?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, June 26, 10:42 a.m.) Philippians 1:3-6: "Where are you C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T in?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, June 25, 12:42 p.m.) Philippians 1:3-6: "How can you attain a P.A.R.T.N.E.R.S.H.I.P in the Gospel?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, June 24, 11:22 a.m.) Philippians 1:1-3: "How will others R.E.A.C.T towards God when they remember you?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, June 22, 11:34 a.m.) Philippians 1:1-2: "Why bother to let others T.R.A.I.N you when you are already a leader?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 21, 10:58 a.m.) Philippians 1:1-2: "When do you B.L.E.S.S others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 20, 08:33 a.m.) Philippians 1:1-2: "Who will you be a S.L.A.V.E to in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 19, 1:26 p.m.) Philippians 1:1: "Why should you believe you are H.O.L.Y instead of a sinner?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 17, 11:38 p.m.) Psalm 46:1: "Where do you need R.E.F.U.G.E from?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 14, 08:30 a.m.) Proverbs 14:12: "Why seek God's R.I.G.H.T over our right?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 14, 08:30 a.m.) Psalm 42:5: "Why H.O.P.E and praise the Lord in your distress?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 13, 01:36 p.m.) Psalm 40:1-5: "Where do you need to be L.I.F.T.E.D up in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 13, 01:34 p.m.) Mark 9:28-29: "What can P.R.A.Y.E.R to Jesus do in your friends lives?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 11, 07:53 a.m.) Mark 2:2-5: "What kind of F.R.I.E.N.D will you be thought of as?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 10, 07:03 a.m.) Mark 3:14-15: "Why S.P.E.N.D time with Jesus daily?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 08, 11:07 a.m.) Psalm 34:4: "What can you do with your F.E.A.R.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 07, 2013, 8:43 a.m.) Psalm 33:4: "What will you do with F.A.I.T.H in your classes?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 05, 2013, 9:31 a.m.) Mark 1:43-44: "What does your disobedience C.A.U.S.E for others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 03, 2013, 2:57 a.m.) Mark 1:41-42: "What past do you need to be C.L.E.A.N from?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 31, 2013, 10:54 a.m) Proverbs 29:25: "Where will you take a S.T.A.N.D without wavering?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 30, 2013, 07:43 a.m) Matthew 18:21-22:"Why F.O.R.G.I.V.E when it will happen again?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 29 2013, 09:35 a.m) Psalm 27:14:"How do you C.O.P.E with your hurt?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 27, 2013, 11:13 a.m) John 12:24:"Who do you remember physically and spiritually on this M.E.M.O.R.I.A.L day?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 27, 2013, 11:13 a.m) "What has the law P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D you to do but it goes against the Lord?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 09, 2013, 6:57 a.m) "Who do you become an A.T.T.R.A.C.T.I.O.N to and why?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 08, 2013, 6:58 a.m) "What has A.N.G.E.R done to your relationships?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 29, 13, 1:28 p.m.) "How can the L.I.G.H.T impact your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 06, 13, 11:48 a.m.)
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