Jesus Christ demands self-denial, that is, self-negation (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23), as a necessary condition of discipleship. Self-denial is a summons to submit to the authority of God as Father and of Jesus as Lord and to declare lifelong war on one's instinctive egoism. What is to be negated is not personal self or one's existence as a rational and responsible human being. Jesus does not plan to turn us into zombies, nor does he ask us to volunteer for a robot role. The required denial is of carnal self, the egocentric, self-deifying urge with which we were born and which dominates us so ruinously in our natural state. Jesus links self-denial with cross-bearing. Cross-bearing is far more than enduring this or that hardship. Carrying one's cross in Jesus' day, as we learn from the story of Jesus' own crucifixion, was required of those whom society had condemned, whose rights were forfeit, and who were now being led out to their execution. The cross they carried was the instrument of death. Jesus represents discipleship as a matter of following him, and following him as based on taking up one's cross in self-negation. Carnal self would never consent to cast us in such a role. "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die," wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was right: Accepting death to everything that carnal self wants to possess is what Christ's summons to self-denial was all about.

J.I. Packer

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy, Eggs		Potatoes	4	Servings

INGREDIENTS

2	lg	Baked Potatoes
1	c	White Sauce; Medium
3/4	c	Grated cheddar cheese
1	md	Head broccoli
		Salt; optional
		Black pepper; optional
		Paprika; optional
3		Hard-cooked eggs; optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare baked potatoes. Steam broccoli for about 7 minutes. (If adding
eggs, hard-boil them while the broccoli is steaming.) Prepare white sauce
according to directions and stir in grated cheese when the sauce is
thickened. After cheese melts stir until blended. (If using eggs, peel them
and mash into fine bits with a fork (as if for egg salad), stir until
whites and yellows are evenly mixed.
Cut potatoes in half and fluff a little with a fork, top with equal amounts
of broccoli florets and cheese sauce. Sprinkle egg on top of it all. Add
salt and pepper if desired. A sprinkle of paprika on the top is a colorful
contrast and easy garnish.
Recipe by Mangia!
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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