As I have been preparing for The World Race I have been pondering about how I will be living, what it must have been like to be a disciple ministering alongside Jesus in the flesh, and how the disciples felt when Jesus told them to follow and they just got up and went.
Luke 9:57-62 says,
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
I believe this passage gives a great view of what it’s like to abandon worldly possessions and comforts to follow Christ and what it was like to be a disciple of Jesus.
Each person Jesus spoke to in this passage had a reason to delay going immediately with Jesus and Jesus’ responses were telling them that was not important. But what did He want? What does He want?
Jesus wants total and complete dedication. He doesn’t want a partial commitment. We can’t decide the when, where, and how to follow Jesus as we please. We can’t be selective. We must accept immediately and be willing to abandon our worldly comforts and securities. We must not look back. We should not allow anything to distract us from following Him.
Anyone who follows Jesus must be ready and willing to go anywhere and give up everything. He calls for a commitment that takes precedence over all human relationships. He calls us to leave behind earthly concerns and keep God at the center.
I believe The World Race is going to be a time where I will experience the abandonment of worldly possessions and go. Thankfully I will have a tent and a sleeping bag, but I will miss my big bed and fluffy pillows. I will have food to sustain me, but I will miss my mom and grandma’s cooking. I will see many animals, but none will compare to my sweet dog, Sugar, who sleeps soundly beside me every night. I don’t know how I will be able to bathe at times, but I’m sure I will miss my hot showers. And I know for sure that I will miss the Pearly White Throne with Charmin to it’s right side. I will miss Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and birthdays. These are all comforts and pleasures of home, but they are not necessities.
I will, however, have time to say goodbye to my family. I will have a way to stay in contact. I will be able to hear the voices of my loved ones.
I’m truly thankful for the time that I have before the race to prepare. The disciples that followed Jesus did not have this luxury. Jesus said follow me and they went immediately! They had no hesitation.
I can’t help but wonder what we would be like in that situation… Would we hesitate? Would we think of our responsibilities at home or work? What would hinder you from going immediately and following Jesus at His command? What would you surrender to further His Kingdom?
Following Jesus is not all daisies and roses. It’s not comfortable. It will be difficult at times. However, there is beauty in a simple life and comfort in knowing that every provision obtained is because of total and complete dependence on the Lord.
Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, and I will have a tent and a sleeping bag, but Jesus had no place to lay His head.
