· Matthew 16; 24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

· All of us to a certain degree, go through the analyzing of ourselves, centered on ourselves, always worried about ourselves=miserable

· Jesus said the key is to deny yourself & take up the cross=lay down your life redemptively/sacrificially for others

· The cross is not dealing w/ a cold, or battling the flu, or even dealing w/ cancer

· The cross is not being left by a loved one or being divorced from a spouse

· The cross=when you choose to lay down your rights like Jesus did, for the sake of others

· You do something that may cost you, that may be hard for you but, you choose to lay down your life for others, Jesus said that’s the key to life, dying to self for the sake of others

· And then He said whoever lays down his life or gives up his life will find life!

· Be of help to others, care about others, you’re going to find life

· Put yourself on the bottom and that’s the Y of Joy=Jesus first, others second, you lastly, on the bottom

· Not talking about yourself, not burdening others w/ your situations, your hurts, your problems but saying, “what can I do today to die to myself & to help others along the way?”

· That’s where true, real joy is to be found, Jesus, Others, You.