"Teach self-denial," said Walter Scott, "and make its practice pleasurable, and you create for the world a destiny more sublime than ever issued from the brain of the wildest dreamer." Yet how many there are, ready to make some great sacrifice, who neglect those little acts of kindness which make so many lives brighter and happier.

We are encouraged to have big dreams but Proverbs 17:24 points out the folly of chasing fantasies. It is better to align our goals with those of God to become the kind of person he wants us to be. Our goals should be wisdom, honesty, patience and love. Even though these goals may not seem exciting, they will determine your eternal future. Meditate on your dreams and goals and make sure they cover the really important areas of your life.

One of the greatest mistakes of life is to save our smiles and pleasant words and sympathy for those of "our set," or for those not now with us, and for other times than the present. "If a word or two will render a man happy," said a Frenchman, "he must be a wretch indeed who will not give it. It is like lighting another man's candle with your own, which loses none of its brilliancy by what the other gains."

We can discover our gifts in the book of Romans. The gift of encouragement can be used everywhere in whatever we do. The gift of mercy allows us to cheerfully help the hurt and the needy. It allows us to lay down our lives for somebody else. We want to see families restored. We want to see redemption and reconciliation to change lives.

Businesses teach about assertiveness. At times, it is a needed characteristic. Without being tempered by love though, assertiveness can appear to be selfishness. People that are humble and seek to serve rather than be served are practicing self-denial. When we insist on our own way, we call it assertiveness. God may consider our actions selfishness. Doing things "your way" may be a good course of action but only if you consider the rights and concerns of others. There is a fine line between myself and others.

Is loving yourself wrong? Proverbs 13:9 says that if you love your neighbor as yourself, you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him. Love satisfies all of God's requirements. Love does no wrong to anyone. Love can change our motivations and our responses.

Matthew 10:39 takes both sides of "clinging to life". We may actually lose the best of this world and the next by clinging. The more we love this life's rewards of leisure, power, popularity, and financial security, the more we discover how empty they really are. The best way to enjoy life is to let go of our grasp on earthly rewards to be free to follow Christ. By doing so, we will inherit eternal life and begin at once to experience the benefits of following him. Self-denial can change the course of our lives.