The enemy known as 'The Self'

Still pressing on in Lloyd Jones' Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, which is simply exquisite reading for any who would choose to partake. In a chapter entitled Denying Self & Following Christ Lloyd Jones highlights a commitment made by George Muller and then writes a brief but hard-hitting excursus on Muller's words. I thought I would let you see both:

Muller: "There was a day when I died, utterly died, to George Muller and his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame of even my brothers and friends; and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God."

Lloyd Jones writes

"I wonder whether we have ever realized the extent to which the misery and the unhappiness and the trouble in our lives is due to one thing only, namely self... There is no question about it. Self is the main cause of unhappiness in life. 'Ah,' you say, 'but it is not my fault; it is what somebody else has done.' All right; analyse yourself and the other person, and you will find the other person probably acted as he did because of self, and you are really feeling it for the same reason... Most of the unhappiness and sorrow, and most of our troubles in life and in experience, arise from this ultimate origin and source, this self."

Lloyd Jones preached in a way which is very unpopular in our current pop-psychological-extremo-self-esteem boosting culture. He calls upon us to read ourselves and challenge our own hearts and lives. I concur with him, we must look at our hearts and see where the self is crowding out the work of God.

Simon