by David Brenneman
"Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
Matthew 8:19-22.
To the scribe who pledged to follow Jesus wherever He went, Jesus explained that inconvenience and self-denial will be the experience of those who follow Him. The disciple who wanted to bury his father before following Jesus was actually saying "Lord, I will follow You after my father dies." Jesus' response--Let the dead bury their own dead -- means, "let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead." The call to follow Jesus takes priority over everything (Luke 9:57-60). - Dr. David Jeremiah study Bible.
That last sentence from Dr. David Jeremiah's notes really struck a chord.
Does the call of Jesus in your life really take priority over everything you do or think about?
Would it take priority over your ideas of entertainment that have nothing to do with your walk with Jesus?
Would it take priority?
Would you turn aside from your wants and desires simply because you got the prompting of the Spirit to do so?
Easy enough to say yes to, much harder in practice. I've shared Dr. Charles Stanley's testimony on this with his camera equipment. Of how he was prompted to sell it. To let go of it.
Would you be sensitive enough to the Spirit of God to obey in anything and everything you're being told to do?
We can easily, and do, start with Jesus by saying "But Jesus...not that..." an you can fill in the blank.
We can come up with really good reasons to be busy doing other things than think about what He's pointing to in our lives.
In Christ we are to live life in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. If your works include fitting in with the world then you're going around life wearing old filthy rags. The aroma of the bread of life in Christ Jesus isn't with you. Literally your stink is as bad as the world in which you live.
To be holy is to be called out. Separate. Distinctively different.
Nobody in any of the Temples needed an explanation of what fragrances they were smelling. They knew what was being offered to the Lord by way of the frankincense.
Do you hold on tightly to your life so much so that you're really of no Heavenly good?
Jesus said: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:37-39.
That cross He bore for us was huge n took everything within Him to carry. Nothing else could be carried while the weight of that was upon Him.
"But I enjoy those things!"
In light of how the works you do for your Savior and Lord matter in light of eternity...is holding onto those ideals and things really worth it?
There's many countless things that I could get involved with that would easily bring personal enjoyment but the truth is they won't last.
Moth, rust and decay claim everything man made. Death claims us all. Energy expended cannot be reclaimed.
Make your hours, minutes and seconds matter for eternity.
None of the Disciples brought along anything with them but what was on their backs and feet.
We live in a world that is ever changing in its creativity towards making silk chains. Creating ways to trap people in anything but a vibrant life in Christ. They see chains and just get used to them rather than to seek to be free of them.
As bad is generation upon generation people get taught to do the same. Unnecessary peer pressure to conform to these ill-gotten methods of living life.
Jesus told the 12 to "Follow Me!".
Which meant to learn from Him on how to live life in speech, love and conduct in everything they would do from that moment forward.
IS Jesus getting your everything?
ARE You living life in Christ the way the Word of God says to or only when it's not conflicting with your personal schedule?
Anything that you hold too tightly to will turn to ashes. It's just a matter of time.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
Jesus: as for you? You follow Me!
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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