• Here's a selection from a book (The Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character) written by Gardiner Spring (1785-1873) on the topic of self-denial. There is much more be says on this, but this is the portion that challenges me most. After reading this, can I even begin to say that I know what it means to deny myself?
"To deny yourself from a supreme regard to a higher interest than your own is to possess the spirit of the Gospel. Is this then the principle which regulates your conduct both toward God and toward man? Which do you pursue most, your interest or your duty? Which do you think of most, your interest or your duty? Can you renounce your ease, your profit, your honor when they come in competition with your duty?
Can you renounce everything which is inconsistent with the glory of God and the highest good of your fellow men? Are these the natural breathings of your heart—“Your Kingdom come! Your will be done!”? Is the highest interest of this Kingdom identified with the object of your highest wish, and with your most vigorous exertion? Is the cause of Christ your concern? The dishonor of Christ your affliction? The cross of Christ your glory? If so, you are not strangers to the spirit of self denial. You are not of self denial. You are not without conclusive evidence that you are born from above. The more you forget yourselves in a supreme regard for God’s glory, the more will you advance your own interest both in this world and that which is to come. But the more you seek a selfish, private, separate interest in opposition to the glory of God, the more are you seeking an interest which God has determined to destroy."
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