What are you living for?

(Horatius Bonar, "Self or Christ—Which Is It?")

What are you living for?

Most, perhaps, live to enjoy present things as
much as possible—and to escape hell at last.

Have your ideas, your hopes, your aspirings—ever
risen beyond these two things? Are you living only
for self? Is that all? What a poor object—what a
base and narrow aim! What an insignificant, empty,
hollow being is yours—wasted, shriveled, useless!

"My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."
    John 10:10

What stands between you and that life? It is self,
the accursed thing! What separates you from God?
It is SELF—your love of self, your admiration of self,
your confidence in self. It is SELF which is blinding
and bewildering you!

What is it that is dragging you down, and making
you cleave to the dust? It is SELF! And what is it that
will before long be your everlasting ruin? It is SELF!

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wants
to come with Me—he must deny himself, take up
his cross, and follow Me." Matthew 16:24