“If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” – Jesus (Matt. 16:24)
MUST!
We think of “self-denial” as quitting some pleasure. This falls short of the Greek meaning; man is to deny his whole self, all his natural motives and impulses, anything that comes into conflict with the claims of Christ.
Jesus is our supreme example.
“Was He crowned with thorns and we crowned with rosebuds?” – Thomas Brooks (1608–1680)
A Verse A Day 