Have You Died Today?

What does it mean to "Die Daily"? I believe it is practical living that comes from a conscious effort to be obedient to God’s commands. It is thinking, speaking, and acting in conformity to His Word and His will daily, even more perhaps a minute by minute death by a Consuming Fire. Few in today’s church are as committed to Jesus Christ as the apostle Paul was. Paul exemplifies what Christ was talking about when He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Paul had denied himself so much that he didn’t even care whether he lived or died. That’s an attitude practically unheard of in our materialistic, self–centered, selfish day. But to die to self and sin daily, we need His resurrection power to be our resource. We need His strength to serve Him faithfully, in order that we may die to temptation, die to our pride, die to our thoughts, and to die to our deal. Only as we build our relationship with Christ and tap into His might will we have victory over sin in this life, and the regular intake of God’s Word is a daily necessity in order for that to take place. I find it very disturbing when I hear someone say it's easy to be a Christian when I know that the act of "Dying to Self" isn't something that's easy.

Excerpts taken from MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 142). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.