DYING TO SELFNote:  The following piece came to me “author unknown.”  It is not  humorous, but is designed to cause us to reflect.  I hope you appreciate  the change of pace.

     When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart  is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, that is dying to  self.

     When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your  advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger  rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient,  loving silence, that is dying to self.

     When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity,  any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with  waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility — and endure it as  Jesus endured, that is dying to self.

     When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any  society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God, that is dying  to self.
     When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record  your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love  to be unknown, that is dying to self.

     When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can  honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God,  while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances, that  is dying to self.

     When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature  than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding  no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart, that is dying to  self.

     “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after  Me, let him deny himself, and take up his 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.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

via- Thought For Today
     Alan Smith
     Helen Street Church of Christ
     Fayetteville, North Carolina