Devo Luke 9

Chapter 9
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you
wherever you go.” 58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have
nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59He said to another
man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim
the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let
me go back and say good-by to my family.” 62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his
hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Meditation:
Jesus is talking to three potential followers of him. He expects his followers to be
totally faithful without any conditions or restrictions. He wants them to accept
the cross as well as the crown, judgement as well as mercy. We need to calculate
the price and be willing to relinquish all that we consider our security to follow
Jesus. Focus on Jesus and we will not be distracted in living out a life of truth and
grace.
Jesus’ response to the first person is: ”Count your cost before following me.”
According to the Jewish customs, the second person probably meant that “I’ll
wait until my father dies before I come to follow you.” Jesus advised him to grasp
the opportunity to respond to the moving of the Holy Spirit at the time. The
third person probably wanted to settle his family affairs and if time allows, then
he’ll come to follow Jesus. The farmer has to look straight ahead in order to plow
straight furrows for planting seeds. Jesus says that if we want to become a member
of God’s kingdom, we need to focus our attention on God, and not allow the
world to distract our focus elsewhere.

If Jesus says to me, “Come and follow me, today!”, what excuses would I use to
delay Jesus’ calling? Does Jesus delight in my hesitation in following Him? What
are the things that are holding me back? Am I willing to allow Jesus to take away
these things from me?

Personal Note:
Jesus calls me and the rest of Crossroad to come and follow His ways.  The excuses I used was the fear of the unknowns and challenges demanded by God, afraid that it would not be comfortable and enjoyable.  Jesus Christ does not delight in any hesitation in following Him.  The things that are holding me back are lack of faith, worries about my worldly personal needs.  I am willing to focus ahead and not look back.  I trust that by focusing on Jesus Christ, he will make a way.