why is it so difficult to die to oneself? or, to the world?

maybe it's because we're not understanding what the Father desires.
we do understand that if we want to live, we must die, we just don't understand why, and maybe that's what makes it so difficult to do.

we get that Yeshua, having the authority to forgive us our sin, did so, which resulted in Him having to willingly atone for it, by giving up His life. praise Him for it.

and we know our response in turn requires us to die to the world, we just don't get it right so easily, and so we (traditionally) start saying it's an incremental process, dying that little bit more each day and that that is the process of 'picking up your cross each day.' luke 9:23.

so what are we not understanding?

instead of sacrificing bulls and things for our sins Yeshua became our sacrifice, once and for all, and now we in turn have to sacrifice ourselves (die to the world) for our salvation, that's what's required, isn't it?

wrong, for Father says He desires mercy, not sacrifice.
we're back to trying to sacrifice (ourselves to the world) to save ourselves. the focus is wrong, we don't understand, and it becomes impossible to do. (read a verse further in luke, carefully...)

forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and the parable of the ungrateful servant not willing to forgive his fellows' debts point us to understanding.

what Yeshua DID was forgive our sins, the result was He had to atone for it.
what Yeshua DID was show us mercy, the result was His sacrifice.

while what we try to DO is die to the world, it's pretty difficult.
while when what we try to DO is show mercy it's a much easier thing to bring up, isn't it? one still does have to get into a merciful frame of mind, though.

so now, knowing that to Follow Yeshua by showing (doing) mercy one is approaching one's resulting death in the right understanding, it may make it easier to 'do'.
for that's what picking up the cross daily is about, daily remembering to truly show mercy, which 'only' has the RESULT that one dies to the world.

- do mercy, not sacrifice -