Thursday, December 13, 2012

Putting Jesus First

This passage is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It says so much about the weakness of our human nature in regards to serving God or following Christ.
(Luke 9:57-58) “57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

In this first passage we see a man who says he desires to follow Jesus but Jesus’ response smacks him right in the face. Jesus is essentially telling him that if follows Him he will have nothing to call his own. Jesus knew the priorities of the man’s heart so He knew what the man valued.

Do you value Christ more than your possessions or personal comfort? Will you give up all that you own to follow Christ?

(Luke 9:59-60) “59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

In this second passage we see Jesus calling another to follow Him. When Jesus calls on us to go with Him, our response must be immediate and affirmative. This man hesitated because of his dead father. He placed more importance on his family than he did on Jesus.

Do you value Christ more than you do your own family? Will you leave your family behind to follow Christ?

“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.” (Luke 9:61-62)

This passage seems to be out of character in comparison to the other two examples. However, if we look closely at the second part, we will understand the statements. Jesus always used examples that people would understand. Since many of the people were from an agrarian society, He used the example of a plowman.

When a plowman goes out to plow his field, it was backbreaking work so they only wanted to do it once. To accomplish this it was important for him to plow straight furrows. That would eliminate plowing over already plowed ground. It also made it easier to sow the seeds for his crop. Once he started plowing, if he turned around to look at his accomplished work while the oxen or ass was still pulling the plow, his furrows would be overlapped or crooked. He had to keep his eyes on the task at hand and not look at what is behind him. To do this; he would pick a point in front of him and drive towards that point. He would shift his point with each furrow that he plowed. The lesson for us is that we must stay focused on Jesus and His work. The point or goal of that work may shift; but the focus will still be on Jesus.

This applies to us and our family. Following Jesus may take us away from our families, our friends and our possessions. If, over time we begin to miss them and we start to look back longingly at our memories. This will distract us from the task we are doing for Jesus.
Do you value Christ more than all you have? Will you be willing to forgo all to follow Christ?

These are the things that Jesus Is speaking of when He tells us “28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:28-33)

Putting Jesus first in all of our activities should be our priority. He gave His all for us; should we not do the same for Him?

In Christ,
lighthousejohn

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