I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 1 Corinthians 15:31 (ESV)
What did Paul mean when he said, “I die every day”? I remember when I first read that verse, I was perplexed. Then when I read other verses and heard sermons that talked about this verse in greater detail, I understood.
We live in a world that promotes pleasure and, in most places, freedom as well. Where you are encouraged to be your own boss and do whatever makes you happy, makes you feel good. There are slogans that say, “you only live once”!! And “what happens here, stays here”. In the mainstream aspect, the “you only live once” takes on the meaning that you can go out and do what you want to bring pleasure and happiness to yourself. The slogan “what happens here, stays here” usually implies you can do whatever you want and, shh…no one has, to know.
But what does God say to all of this in His word? He also wants us to live life to the fullest because we do only have one life to live. However, is He on board with doing whatever you please in order to find your happiness and pleasure? No, He’s not on board with that thought. He knows His children too well to not put limits and boundaries in place for our good, and the good of others.
God knows with the sin of this world if His children are left to just seek their pleasures without any limits, what death and destruction we would continually cause to mankind and this world.
Therefore, when Paul says he dies daily, he is meaning to sinful thoughts, sinful pleasures & sinful actions. He knows that his flesh and his spirit are carnal by nature and if left to himself without any restrictions, he would cause untold damage and destruction.
In order to live a good, wholesome life, we must strive to die daily to our sinful flesh, sinful thoughts, and sinful desires. In so doing, we will not see the married man or woman, flirting with a person that is not their spouse. We won’t see them excusing the playful behavior away and stating: “oh, we’re just friends”. We won’t see people lying and stealing from each other. By dying daily, we won’t see them manipulating situations and trying to twist facts, in order to get the outcome, they want. An outcome that seeks to please their childish egos and temper tantrums; that appeases their delusions of grandeur.
God desires all of us to die daily to our sinful self, in order to live daily for His love and purity. His desire is for us to spread His message of love, hope, faith, and patient endurance, to run the race of life. We all feel at times the need to do whatever we want, in order to find pleasure. However, we do not realize the consequences those actions can have for us and others. We cause great harm to ourselves as well as to the individuals in our inner circle. Then as a ripple effect, it hurts our surrounding family, friends, co-workers, and even church members.
Case in point when someone commits adultery in the church, it doesn’t just hurt the couple who are in the marriage, it hurts the children, as well as the in-laws and families from both sides. It then branches out and hurts people within the church, from the young to the old. Everyone is negatively impacted and shaken by this act of betrayal. And where did it get it’s start? When we do not die daily to fleshly lust and desires. When we do not die daily, we allow sinful thoughts, desires then actions to take hold; and then before you know it, you’re pulled down Satan’s rabbit hole once again.
I encourage you to constantly pray, stay in His Word, and die daily to your own sinful ways and desires. Always, measure your thoughts, feelings, and actions, against His word; BEFORE you decide to go it alone, and do whatever pleases you.
Blessings,
Angélique~
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