Title

Carelessness of Self

Scripture
I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
(1 Corinthians 15:31)
Devotional
Someone once defined leadership as a combination of wisdom, commitment and a great carelessness of self. Nothing better describes the leadership quality of the apostle Paul. His wisdom is seen in his writings. His commitment is heard in his boasting of his followers and his carelessness of self is expressed with the phrase, “I die daily.” He understood that the living in Christ process required a dying-to-self lifestyle. He did not allow physical, mental or emotional desires to rule and reign in his life. He only allowed Christ’s full reign of his life. For this to be accomplished, he had to die daily. He often had to die to hunger and the urge to stop. He had to die to thoughts of self-pity and doubt. He had to die to hate, lust and every emotion that so often drives us. He was careless of self and careful of Christ. He was the epitome of godly leadership.
Thought For The Night
“As marriage is a metaphor for the church, so the church is a metaphor for marriage. The church has a unity we are to preserve. The church has a diversity we are to value. The church has a selfless task in which, together, we are to engage. This is marriage.” James Long, Marriage Partnership, Christianity Today.
Evening Text
1 Corinthians 15:31: I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Looking for Answers
Evening Study Guide
Defining: “Die daily,” Colossians 3:5 explains it clearly, “Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
 
Referencing: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me,” Galatians 2:20.
 
Applying: Purposefully let your boast be in the Lord and let your sin nature die daily.