÷ But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that I by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be cast into hell (1 Corinthians 9:27). ÷

"We all know the hard core of self-centredness that can exist within every human being. We recognise it in ourselves; we see it in others. It leads, in practice, to that point at which every other need, every good idea, comes second to my own.

Yet we also know moments and experiences when our hard shell, on which some have broken their hearts, is smashed. It might be the experience of falling in love, or of becoming a parent. Nothing is ever the same again. Someone else comes first!

We can practise putting others first and ourselves in second place. In Christian living it is called self-denial, and goes hand in hand with practical generosity. The source from which it flows is a trusting faith in God. That is why prayer is the true and good companion of self-denial and almsgiving."
– Text in inverted commas from "A Lenten Journey of Prayer for 2009" by AlivePublishing

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