“Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I” (Part 4)

I’ve been writing this week about “Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I.” At the heart of this week’s blogs (and every blog entry on “American Idolatry”) is the challenge from God to “repent and turn away from your idols...” I pray that will be our response as our Lord brings to light any and all idolatrous affections!

Yesterday I addressed the need for daily denial if we’re to forsake the idol of self. Second, forsaking the idol of self requires Daily Death—“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily…” Some try to define this as bearing some personal burden—an angry spouse or a bad case of arthritis or some continuing crisis. But that’s not what Jesus was talking about. The cross meant something very different to the people of Jesus’ day than it does to people today. Crosses today are pieces of jewelry. Crosses then were places of judgment. Crosses today are used for decoration. Crosses then were used for death. We’ve so sanitized and ritualized the cross in these 20 centuries since Jesus, it’s no wonder that we have trouble understanding what He was saying!

Jesus was describing the surrender of our will to God’s will. Do you remember Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was crucified? “…Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done…” (Luke 22:42). Obviously, for Jesus, the cross was a one-time event, yet he calls us to take up our crosses daily. Once again, he’s describing the surrender of our will to God’s will, and that’s a daily experience. It’s allowing our will to die in Christ’s death so that, like a seed buried in the soil, God’s will can spring forth life in us and through us! Daily Denial & Daily Death.

Finally, forsaking the idol of self requires Daily Discipleship—“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The core of the Christian life is following Jesus. Not just a profession of faith…not just a label…certainly more than a fish symbol on our car! The Christian life is about following Jesus.

But if we come to the issue of faith intending to go our own way…and to do our own thing, we’ll only follow Jesus if it’s convenient or comfortable. But the moment it costs us something, we’re out the door! But what we don’t realize is that we’re making the biggest mistake of our lives! “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

Ask yourself, honestly and biblically, “Am I following Jesus by living my life the way that I am? Is my life a mirror reflection of the Lord Jesus Christ?” If not, why not? Could it be that we’re bowing at the wrong altar in our lives? Could it be that we’re guilty of “Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I”? Could it be that we’ve allowed self to substitute for God upon that throne in our hearts?

All that can change today…right now, right where you are. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.”