Could it be possible for someone to live his whole life in a never-ending denial of self? If so, how could such a person have any fun? (We are assuming that this is not a fanatical asceticism, but a healthy choice to take up the cross and follow Jesus, motivated by love.)
The answer of course is YES, for Jesus denied self all His life, and He was exuberant at the end in the "joy" He had (John 15:11; 17:13). It all seems self-contradictory, but it is true, for "love [agape] rejoices in the truth" (1 Cor. 13:6).
Here's a married person; like all marriages this one is not totally perfect. Suddenly an old flame shows up and temptation arises. To give in would be an indulgence of "self." What will love [agape] tell him to do? The happiness of his/her spouse rests upon his fidelity to his marriage vows. Now he is suddenly confronted with a choice--tempted to think that the "love" he once knew in that old flame experience is still there, but the Holy Spirit convicts him that his declared love [agape] for his spouse is the real thing. Can he say "No!" to self, and still be happy? (Don't confuse things by saying Jesus was never tempted in that way; the Bible clearly says He was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," Heb. 4:15.)
The answer again is Yes! Now for a new reason. By dying to self and being true to his marriage vows, he is not only capturing true and lasting married bliss with Christ's approval; he is honoring Him by defending what He invented in the first place--holy marriage. He is supporting Christ in His great controversy with the Enemy.
And when anyone does that, he is sustained with what the Bible calls "entering into the joy of the Lord" (see Matt. 25:21). He holds his head high in a sense of confidence that no selfish pleasure can equal. The Holy Spirit is even now training people all over the world to take up their cross and follow the One who said continually, "I seek not Mine own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (cf John 5:30; 6:38). That's where the joy is!
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 27, 2004.
Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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