Then He said to another, "Follow Me." (Luke 9:59)
TODAY'S WORD , in Luke 9 we read that when Jesus called a certain man to follow Him, He received an interesting response. "Lord, let me first go and bury my father," the man said (v. 59).
Jesus responded, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God" (v. 60). Our first reaction might be, "What a heartless statement that was! This guy's father is lying dead out in the street somewhere." Of course, that wasn't the case at all. The phrase, "Let me bury my father," was often used in that culture to speak of waiting until your parents eventually died. This man was saying, in other words, "Let me wait until my parents are gone. I can't do this right now."
Jesus was saying, "Follow Me," but this man was saying, "I don't want to right now." Why? Maybe he thought if he told his parents he was going to follow Jesus as his Messiah, they wouldn't like it. There might be conflict. There might be friction. So he may have been saying, in reality, "Lord, I don't want conflict. I don't want hardship. I don't want friction. I will follow You at another time, when it's more convenient."
If we decide to be true disciples of Jesus, it will cause conflict in some of our relationships. If you say to your parents, husband or wife, or some of your friends, "I am going to follow Christ," they won't always applaud your decision. They may disagree with you.
Here is what it comes down to: Either you will have harmony with God and friction with people, or you will have harmony with people and friction with God. But you can't have it both ways.
A PRAYER FOR YOU TODAY Heavenly Father, I give you a million thanks that I have woken up alive this morning, once again to witness the magnificence, the glory of your creation. Even on the dreariest of days, when the weather doesn't suit me, let me rejoice in the taste of heaven you give us on earth. For the hottest, muggiest day; the coldest and most bitter weather; the clouds, the rain, the wind and snow, the lightning and thunder - these are all your creations, oh Lord, and all of them have a great beauty if I just take the time to see it. Should I be blind, what would I give to see the cloudy rainy day that I complain about? Should I be deaf, how much I would long to hear your thunder! When I lie dying, how sweet it will seem to have been bundled up against a chill wind, or to be soaked in sweat as I work in the heat and humidity. Let me be always filled with gratitude for the world you have given me, great God, Father and creator of all that is. In Jesus Name, Amen. |
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