Peter thought he could choose the place of his death. As we get closer with Jesus, we find that dying to self never has the extravagance of knowing the place where the Lord requires us to lay down our life. We may be heroic and sentimental in our loyalties, yet we often lack the pluck to identify with Christ's crucifixion when He is telling us to die to our old ways. It is easy to live in the "glory hallelujah" of the resurrection. It is quite another to live in the shadow of His crucifixion when all have deserted us.
Our misguided understanding of death to self can impinge on those around us. Instead of increasing their faith to live and die for Jesus as He desires, we create self-sufficiency in others by our own obstinacy. Humiliation is the touchstone of true death to self, beloved. Humility seeks not its own place of death but embraces whatever the Lord says.
May we surrender all to Him, properly denying ourselves. For only then will death to self have its greatest reward -- a glorious rebirth in His image.
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