Dr Paul Allen

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). In the resurrection there will be no self- denial because none of our desires will be sinful or foolish. Till then we have sinful and foolish desires daily. Hence, “Let him deny himself and take up his cross daily.” What Paul Says This is so essential in Christian living that Paul made it part of his one-time sermon to Felix (“he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment,” Acts 24:25); he made it part of the fruit of the Spirit (“faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” Galatians 5:23); he made it part of the qualifications for overseers (“self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined,” Titus 1:8). And he gave us a taste of the sort of thing he meant: “But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry” ( 1 Corinthians 7:9). So he means there are times for denying some ...

Image via Wikipedia No one puts it as bluntly as Blaise Pascal in his  Pensées : All men seek happiness . This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves. There you are. Warrior, pacifist, suicide, sluggard, workaholic; if you’re a human, you’re a hedonist. You can try to deny it, but you can’t change it. If you want to try your hand at stoicism, forget the Bible . It has little for you. Scripture does not support the idea that our motives are more pure the less we are pursuing our own joy. Nope. In fact, according to the Bible, unless we are pursuing our happiness we cannot even come to God : “for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he  rewards ...