The First Trade You Must Make
"If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself…" – Matthew 16:24
You do not have to teach a child to be selfish. It just comes naturally. Maybe that is why a story like this hits home. A mom was making pancakes for her two young boys, Tom and Ryan, when a fight broke out over who would get the first one. Seizing the moment, she said, “If Jesus were here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Without missing a beat, Tom looked at his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”
That story is funny because it’s familiar. We all have a bit of Tom in us. Our natural instinct is to look out for ourselves. But if we are going to follow Jesus, we have to confront that instinct. Jesus said plainly that following Him requires us to deny ourselves. That word “deny” is not a soft suggestion. In the original Greek, it means to utterly disown. To put aside our wants and ways and follow Him fully.
Paul wrote something similar in Philippians 2. He praised Timothy, saying he was unlike the others who were all chasing their own interests instead of the things of Jesus Christ. In a world full of people living for themselves, Timothy stood out as someone living for the Savior. That kind of selfless living is not easy, but it is essential.
Romans 2 reminds us what is at stake. Paul says God will reward those who persist in doing good and seek glory and honor, but there will be wrath for those who are self-seeking and ignore the truth. This is not just a call to be nice. It is a wake-up call. Every time we choose selfishness over the Savior, we’re robbing ourselves of the life we were meant to build and putting up walls that protect nothing.
Jesus asked, “What will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life?” That is a question worth wrestling with every single day.
You do not have to teach a child to be selfish. It just comes naturally. Maybe that is why a story like this hits home. A mom was making pancakes for her two young boys, Tom and Ryan, when a fight broke out over who would get the first one. Seizing the moment, she said, “If Jesus were here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Without missing a beat, Tom looked at his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”
That story is funny because it’s familiar. We all have a bit of Tom in us. Our natural instinct is to look out for ourselves. But if we are going to follow Jesus, we have to confront that instinct. Jesus said plainly that following Him requires us to deny ourselves. That word “deny” is not a soft suggestion. In the original Greek, it means to utterly disown. To put aside our wants and ways and follow Him fully.
Paul wrote something similar in Philippians 2. He praised Timothy, saying he was unlike the others who were all chasing their own interests instead of the things of Jesus Christ. In a world full of people living for themselves, Timothy stood out as someone living for the Savior. That kind of selfless living is not easy, but it is essential.
Romans 2 reminds us what is at stake. Paul says God will reward those who persist in doing good and seek glory and honor, but there will be wrath for those who are self-seeking and ignore the truth. This is not just a call to be nice. It is a wake-up call. Every time we choose selfishness over the Savior, we’re robbing ourselves of the life we were meant to build and putting up walls that protect nothing.
Jesus asked, “What will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life?” That is a question worth wrestling with every single day.
Subscribe Now for Daily Devotionals
Recent
Archive
2026
January
God’s Design Is the Best DesignYou Were Destined for MoreDelivered Into Divine GuidanceSet Apart by MercyYou Are the Workmanship of GodPeople Will Fail You, But God Never WillStrength For the Long HaulYou Belong to the KingMore Than MaintenanceBigger Than Your PredicamentsYou Inherit What Cannot Be LostLive Like a Royal PriestSignificance Starts with DependenceNot Everyone Shares the Same DestinyPulled Out with PurposeMade to ProclaimCelebrate the Diversity in God’s DesignNot Problem-Free, But Promise-FilledA New Kingdom, A New LifeFaith That Puts in WorkThe Accuser Has No PowerYou Can Be SureLet the World WonderDesigned for DependencyThe Cross Already Proved His LoveNo Separation ClauseDelivered for SignificanceGod Is Not Shocked by Your SituationYou’re Part of a Bigger StoryVictory In Jesus
February
You Are CalledYou Were Made for a MissionGrace That Sets You FreeYou Can Do Nothing Without JesusGod’s Calling Looks Different for EveryoneGod Uses What You Already HaveThe Proof Is in the RemainingLiving to Please GodYou Have What You NeedYou Were Made to Stand OutExpect Ridicule When You Follow JesusWhen “But First” Gets in the WayFrom Sitting to FollowingYou Were Made for a MissionFruitfulness Comes from Connection, Not PerformanceDon’t Just Know the Word. Live It.What’s Distracting You from Your MissionWhy I Don’t Put Ashes on My Head — and Why I Don’t Judge Those Who DoStop Looking BackGod Knew What He Was Doing When He Chose YouOrdinary Obedience Has Eternal ImpactYour Friendships Are Not AccidentalWhen Comfort Competes with ChristJoy in the Middle of the StormFake Fruit Won’t Fool GodNot All Fruit Is MeasurableYour Obedience Can Spark Salvation in OthersA Dangerous Kind of PrayerWhy I Don’t Celebrate the Death of KhameneiEmpowered for Every Season
March
Jesus Crosses Storms for OneThe Battle is Already WonEven When You’re Overqualified, Obey AnywayMission Flows Out of IntimacyReal Growth Is God-DependentThe Power of a Changed LifeJesus Knows Your NameStay Rooted in the Right SourceRepresent Jesus in EverythingYour Identity Fuels Your MissionBeautiful Feet Begin at His FeetFrom Chains to CallingDon’t Separate Faith from the Rest of LifeYour Story is Your MessageYour Mission Starts Where You AreSet Your Focus Where It MattersNot Everyone Will Celebrate Your ChangeMake Room for the WordFaithfulness Is Greater Than FamePain Produces PurposeFinish What You StartedLet God Clean What You’re HidingDon’t Miss Your MomentGod Uses Former FailuresServe Even When It Seems PointlessFrom Isolation to ImpactYou Were Never Meant to Live on EmptyYour Worst Moments Can Help Someone ElseSpeak With Grace and PowerEncouragers Make an Eternal ImpactGrace for the Whole Journey
No Comments