Luke 9: 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”,62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (NIV)
Jesus is approached by another believer. This believer however came with a compromise. He wanted to delay his departure by saying his good byes to his family and friends. This is the compromise of procrastination.
Once, I was starting up an evangelism outreach effort at the congregation I was serving. The strategy was to go out into the community and introduce ourselves and invite people to our community. A strong voice interrupted the session by saying, "We don't have to do that. The people see this building. They know that we are here!" The "build it and they will come" philosophy is another compromise to delay the sending out of disciples into a sin-sick world. We need to evaluate our plans and desires and make sure that we are not procrastinating from serving the Lord.
The Lesson: Luke 9:61-62
1. This disciple offered his services to Jesus. v. 61
2. Why was this disciple willing to follow?
3. The words "but" and "first" are present in the disciple's pledge to follow. What "but" or "first" has delayed your service in the kingdom?
4. Jesus' response was descriptive for its' day. v. 62 In today's world, his response could be: "No one can text while driving and remain focused on the road." What keeps you unfocused when it comes to serving?
Applications:
1. Christ is to be first in our lives. (Mt. 6:33; Mt. 25:34-36; Luke 16:13)
2. The Lord cannot use disciples and followers who will look to the right or the left or to the back or even text while driving and forget their calling and the goal of their discipleship. (Mt. 7:21; Mt. 19:21-23; Rom. 14:12; Rev. 2:4-5)
No comments:
Post a Comment