Funeral of My Independence

So many funerals in the past several months. Funerals commemorating the end of physical lives. The end of hopes and dreams. And the end of relationships that leave a hole in our hearts.

Funerals acknowledge that physical death is a painful reality of life. And yet, we frequently overlook a different kind of funeral. One that God is showing me the necessity of attending: my own. But not in the way you might think.

The Gift of Life . . . and Death

When we speak of Jesus Christ, Christians often speak of the gift of life. New birth. Eternal life. Death is conquered. It no longer has the final say.

But followers of Christ understand that Christianity also involves death. Yes, the death of Christ when He died on the cross as our substitute, purchasing our salvation to restore us to the Father. But also our death. The death of our independence. The death of our agendas. And the death of our rights.

The 250^th anniversary of the United States of America is a strange time to speak of the death of rights. But this is not about political rights. It’s not even about moral rights. This is about the death that accompanies life.

In Daily Thoughts for Disciples, (Feb. 22), Oswald Chambers is quoted as saying something that many view as shocking and unreasonable. And yet, this truth is inescapably entwined with faith in Christ.

“‘Present your bodies a living sacrifice’—go to the funeral of your own independence. It is not a question of giving up individual sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence and self-assertiveness.”

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” In biblical times, the cross was more than a piece of jewelry. It represented a painful, humbling, and public death. And Jesus said carrying that representation of death—applying it daily—is a requirement of following Him. We must deny ourselves.

The apostle Paul affirmed this truth in Romans 12:1 when he wrote, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Physical sacrifices were a regular part of worship in the temple. While the sacrificed animals offered on the altar were dead, Paul exhorts us to be living sacrifices. Sacrifices that remain on the altar because our life is no longer our own. And we can only do that if we sacrifice our rights to our own agendas.

Paul described what this looked like in his own life when he wrote to the Galatian church (2:20), “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Why do we no longer have this right to our own preferences and goals? The apostle Peter gave the answer when he wrote in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ.” As followers of Christ, we don’t belong to ourselves anymore because we’ve been purchased. Ransomed by the shed blood of Jesus.

So this weekend as we celebrate our nation’s independence, let’s plan to attend the funeral of our own individual independence. Not to be a doormat or a pushover, but to surrender and exchange our plans for the Lord’s plans. Our agendas for His. And our rights for His glory.

Happy Independence Day, America! And happy Surrender Day to every follower of Christ as we attend the funeral of our individual independence to live entirely for Him!

* Bible quotes are from the NIV.

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