Scripture
57As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 59He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 60But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” 61Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” 62But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62
Observation
“I will follow You wherever you go.” How many times have we prayed that? How many times have we sang that? How many times have we preached that? The proof of whether we mean that or not is whether we procrastinate or not. These three examples of would-be disciples hits me between the eyes every time. Each of them had an opportunity to have a front row seat on the most historical moments to occur on this earth. They had an invitation to walk with God in the flesh and see His Kingdom come in real time. What caused them to miss out? They didn’t recognize that willingness is connected to timeliness. “As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Lk. 9:51). They sincerely wanted to follow Jesus but their yes to Him required a no to personal comfort, personal obligations, and logical excuses. It was now or never and for these three it was never. May it not be so with me!
Application
Clearly God is trying to get my attention because I came across a startling quote yesterday and then this passage just highlighted it! “Procrastination is the arrogant assumption that God owes you another opportunity to do what you had time to do.” Yes, our God is gracious. We call Him the God of second chances, and third, and fourth and so on. Though this is true I feel that quite often we take this grace as license for procrastination. God is so good, He will understand if I don’t get around to loving that person, calling that neighbor, praying for that friend. What arrogance! That’s what it is! I’m telling God my timing is more important than His when I put off what He’s asking me to do. Yoel said it this way this morning, “The cost of discipleship starts with getting rid of the excuses.” To put a finer point on it I think about all the stories I’ve heard this week of the first responders rushing in to the fires here in California. So many times they were able to pull people out just before the roof came caving in. Can you imagine if they told their fire chief, “yeah, I’ve got to finish my coffee, or I have an appointment I can’t change, or I live all the way on the other side of town so I don’t want to have to deal with traffic.” First responders understand the vital importance of immediate obedience and yet somehow we think it’s different for us. I don’t know about you but it sure sounds urgent when, at the beginning of this chapter, “Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” (Lk 9:1-2).
Prayer
Lord, I pray for all the families in pain and sorrow reeling from the sudden loss of all they once owned. I pray for the first responders who are laying down their lives for others and rushing in while others are rushing out. This is the kind of clarity I needed as You set my priorities for the new year. I repent for procrastination and taking your grace for granted. I repent for forgetting there are lives on the line and that Your timing and direction has eternity in mind for every person I interact with. It’s now or never! “Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment.” Jude 23
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