So Long Self

The deception of every sin is selfishness.

Temptation promises what self desires...

The spirit of this world 

is so strong that only a continual, 

daily crucifying of our flesh,

will enable us to withstand 

the power of temptation.

Journal of the unknown Prophet

We can only be tempted by that 

which self demands.

But to follow Jesus, we must deny self.

It is the subjugation of our self

that is our true victory.

And so we fix our eyes on Jesus.

His beautiful face fixes our gaze aright. 

He turns our faces to look upon His Father, 

whom He gazes upon continually.

In that place of worship, 

self need not be denied

for it is obliterated--

eradicated by something far more glorious,

far more worthy than its own image.

Self is the ultimate bully.

Feeling bigger than anything else around, 

it demands everything.

We attempt to please it 

only to find that it wants more.

We are a slave until we realize 

that every bully has a fear--

a fear of being exposed.

A fear of being confronted by someone bigger.

When our "big brother" steps in 

and commands the bully to leave us alone, 

we walk away free.

Free to be who we are in Christ.

So long self.

The time will come when our self shall be so 

enlarged by the indwelling God, 

that there will be no longer any enforced denial;  

it has learned to receive with thankfulness, 

to demand nothing.

God's eternal denial of Himself, 

revealed in Him who took up his cross daily, 

will have been developed in the man;

 his eternal rejoicing will be in God--

and in his fellows, 

before whom he will cast his glad self

 to be a carpet for their walk, 

a footstool for their rest, a stair for their climbing.

George MacDonald