Luke 9:57-62
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. 58 And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. 59 To another he said, Follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. 60 And Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. 61 Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home. 62 Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
Following Jesus is not easy. I wish it were, but there is a cost involved. In this passage three people say that they want to follow Jesus, but they are confronted with the reality of what it will cost. It is easy to say that we want to follow Jesus, that we want to be pure. But to actually do it takes more than a verbal assent. We have to be willing to do whatever it takes, even if it is hard. We need to be willing to go beyond the "yes but" of verse 61: "I will follow you, Lord, but ...".
Lord, help me to follow You no matter what, no excuses.
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. 58 And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. 59 To another he said, Follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. 60 And Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. 61 Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home. 62 Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
Following Jesus is not easy. I wish it were, but there is a cost involved. In this passage three people say that they want to follow Jesus, but they are confronted with the reality of what it will cost. It is easy to say that we want to follow Jesus, that we want to be pure. But to actually do it takes more than a verbal assent. We have to be willing to do whatever it takes, even if it is hard. We need to be willing to go beyond the "yes but" of verse 61: "I will follow you, Lord, but ...".
Lord, help me to follow You no matter what, no excuses.