Denying Oneself

Matthew 16:24-27

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deed.'"

Denying yourself, carrying your cross, and following Jesus is not a secondary matter in Jesus' mind. It is a matter of gaining or losing your soul; it is a matter of salvation or damnation. It saddens me that people do not recognize the gravity of the situation. Maybe it's because people believe gaining the world is much better than forfeiting their soul, or maybe they believe that they can give good works in exchange for their soul. Maybe they do not see the link between "forfeits his soul" and "must deny himself." Whatever the case, it is clear that Jesus requires you to deny yourself and carry your cross. That is how you follow Jesus and gain your soul. Only regenerate eyes can see the beauty of doing this.