Deny Yourself, Follow Jesus and Live Fully.

March Madness is here.

The upsets, buzzer-beaters, Cinderella stories—it’s one of the best times of the year for sports fans. And if you’re like us, the first weekend didn’t disappoint. But as we cheered on our brackets, we also found ourselves reading a few verses that hit us harder than any last-second three-pointer.

This past week, we have been studying a couple of Bible verses that have us thinking about how we can apply them to our daily lives. Do we take them literally? What does Jesus want us to do to show our commitment to him? We suspect many of you who have read these verses may have some of the same questions.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up the cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What profit is it for a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what can a man give in return for his soul" Matthew 16:24-26

Wow, those are some high expectations. Not sure we can live up to them. Catch this one.

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, can not be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me can not be my disciple". Luke 14:26-27

No way. That is not going to happen. We love our wives, our kids, and our families. What is Jesus telling us here? We will start by reminding you that neither of us is a trained pastor, but guys like you who are trying to figure this out and be serious followers of Jesus. We suspect you might be in the same boat. So, how do we read and put these words of Jesus into action?

First, Jesus wants us to understand that following him is serious business. It is not something you can take lightly. He wants ALL of us. He is in position number 1. In March Madness terms, he is the "first seed" in EVERYTHING.

Let's go back to the very basics. The Ten Commandments. "Thou shalt have NO other God's before me" Exodus 20:3

Pretty clear. Not our wives, not our kids, not your job, not your cellphone, not your balance sheet. NOTHING before HIM. HE is NUMERO Uno!

So, when we read Luke 14: 26-27, we certainly do not read it thinking we have to hate our parents or our families, but he is making the point that we need to put him first. If we put Jesus FIRST, all other things will fall into place. He created us, loves us, and wants us to have joy in our lives. He wants us to put him at the CENTER of all that.   

"But first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and ALL things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33

OK, let's revisit Matthew 16. What does it mean to deny ourselves? When we looked up "deny "in the dictionary, it says the following: "State that one refuses to admit the truth of the existence of" Oxford Dictionary.

So, in the context of Matthew 16, we interpreted that to mean to deny the existence of our will and submit our lives to HIS will—to deny the existence of our desires to those of his desires.

Over the years, we have asked ourselves whether these verses tell us we must sell everything and go into the mission field to meet God's expectations.

Maybe you feel God is telling you that is HIS plan for your life. However, we also feel that we can meet God's expectations right where he has us if we put HIM at the center of whatever we do.

Bottom line, gents. The key question we all need to ask is – are we listening to God and putting him in POSITION Number 1 in our lives? If we are doing that, we are "denying" ourselves of all the otherworldly temptations that exist as a result of Adam taking a bite of that apple in the Garden of Eden. Are we walking the walk or just talking the talk?

Buckle Up! If we are walking the walk, it will mean some sacrifice. It will mean making choices that may not make us "feel good," or that are popular and make everyone like us. It means doing what we know is right, not what is popular and self-centered.

OK, we get that, but how do we do that in real-time in our lives today? Again, we are far from experts and are on this journey with you. Here are a few things that we do that help us focus on keeping God in the number one position in our lives. Understand that we are a work in progress, and this is a journey, not a sprint.

Stay in the Word. He wants a relationship with us. How can we put him and keep him in the number one position if we do not spend time with him? Doing one of our group devotions is a great way to stay in the Word and have some accountability. Taking time for a devotion each day allows you to connect with God's wisdom through his Word.

Personal accountability. Who in your life will REALLY speak TRUTH to you? To call you out when you are messing up and doing things that are inconsistent with your commitment to God. Who is that trusted friend who will tell you that God does not seem like He is number 1 when others look at how you are living? To get in your face and ask you to "deny" some things if you are serious about following Jesus? Very few of us have deep friendships like that. Who will tell you what you need to hear vs. what you want to hear? Work on finding a trusted friend like that. One of the reasons we started Seven24 was to provide a place where those types of relationships might happen.

Be consistent in prayer. Talk to God throughout the day. He is not in some far-off distant place. He is sitting on your shoulder all day long. He loves you and wants to hang out with you. Talk to him like he is the most important person in your life.

Set some personal goals. If you are like us, we are driven by achievement. Again, God does not require a "performance" from us, but if we really are committing to focusing more on making God number 1, write down those things you need to do and track how you are doing on them. Hold yourself accountable.

Remember, he loves us and wants us to have joy in our lives, which is unknown to mankind. Following Him and denying ourselves is not punishment. It will bring us true fulfillment in our lives unlike any we have ever known. We cannot earn our way into heaven. All He is asking us to do is make Him number one in our lives. He will take care of all the rest!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and HE will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6