A Rare Cut

I have a Men's Devotional Bible that I keep at work. I don't read it much but I have it available for when I have a few minutes of down time. There are numerous quotes in the book with references to fitting scriptural passages. This is one that I have found myself going back to time and again. On the surface one finds it to look like a lean cut of the finest filet mignon, but once you take a bite of it you find that it takes a lot of chewing to fully digest. At some point in the chewing you begin to wonder if it is at all palatable. There just seems to be so much work involved in swallowing it. At some point you begin to wonder if it's truly worth the effort or if everyone has belied the worth of this particular meal.

And yet you know it to be true. That it is the finest of offerings and that it does hold a flavor like no other.

I am personally convinced that this submission, this dying to self, this crucifying of pride is crucial to our joy. We think of denying self as somber, grim-faced business when it is in truth a prelude to dancing. If you want power, learn to be assertive. If you want joy, learn to be submissive…

The reason our death [to self] increases the joy level all around is that is also increases the love level all around. Only when we die to self can we fully love one another. Self is a devilish creature, demanding all of our energy, wanting our constant attention, reaching even into our pocketbooks for favors. How can we be attuned to another's spirit when self is making so much noise? How can we ever hope to love another when self screams for our constant care? When self is alive and well, it offers us an all-or-nothing proposition. we either pacify self, or we crucify it.

- Edward Judson

Phillipians 2:1-8