And another also
said, “Lord, I will follow You,
but let me first go
and bid them farewell
who are at my house.”
But Jesus said to
him, “No one, having
put his hand to the
plow,
and looking back, is
fit
for the kingdom of
God.”
Luke 9:61–62
God has revealed
to those who will read His word His will and His commands for His
children. God furthermore uses pastors
and teachers to teach how to apply pragmatically what He has revealed and His
commands; that is if the teacher or pastor is presenting God’s word and not his
own opinions. This is our job, to know
His word, and then, trust your leader, your pastor, your teacher, but, but,
verify. There came someone who said
what we so often say: “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that
someone said t Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go” (Luke 9:57). Maybe
we are like the man in a familiar story; a man in an airplane that had major
troubles and seemed as though it was going to crash so the man prayed that if
God would save him he would follow Him wherever He wanted him to go. The airplane miraculously did not crash and
upon departing from the airplane the man who prayed for salvation looked to the
sky and made another deal with God. How
often after our decision to believe on Jesus Christ and even go through baptism
and have such an emotional response to our salvation and then soon a new deal
is made and you do not follow Jesus Christ as you promised. We find all kinds of excuses not to do what
God has revealed to us, those commands that He demands of His children. Oh!
Lord! I read what you demand,
but before I do this I must do this or that, I must go to this or that, I must
make the changes is me by going to this or that, I must, I must, I must. God has told us what He wills for our life
but when God allows us to go through a test of our faith, our common sense is
taxed. Let me ask this question, not only of you but of me: What are you going
to do? Become apathetic and hang back,
go back as the man in the opening Scripture said: “…but let me first go and
bid them farewell who are my house.” You came to Jesus with a contrite heart and there is no doubt that
you desired to follow Him, but the trials of life has driven you away to make
another deal, a putting off what is commanded. I will use an example of our
making of excuses to not do what God has commanded, in fact, we have even made
some theological excuses for not doing what God so clearly commanded. We do everything we can and repent when we
do not follow God’s commands; i.e., do not covet; do not commit adultery, do
not steal, do not have other gods, honor your father and mother, do not murder,
all these we keep as though we have done the will of God. Yes, in those cases
we have do so, but, there is one command in the list of commands God has
revealed to us: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). God,
I know what I said, that I would follow You, but before I can do all what You
have asked I must take care of my family and have family time, we do own a boat
and I only have Saturday and Sunday to spend much time with them, so I must
take them out onto the lake and play, and laugh, and enjoy this time, but, but,
I know what you have asked and as soon as the children are gone from the house
I will make Sunday a special day to you, but until then the deal is that I will
come to Church as often as I can, I will read your word as often as I can, I
will meditate upon You and make the Sabbath, Sunday, a day of rest. I know that you will understand, right?
Suppose,
just suppose that you do obey God in this matter, as well as other commands, is
it that you will obey if God will allow you to use your common sense? Is it that you are afraid to trust God and
take steps into the dark? Let this be
your understanding; Jesus did not ask us to you our common sense in obeying
Him, for our common sense is not of God but rather is defiled by the corruption
of sin, and we will make all kinds of excuses as to why we do what we do and
why we do not have the faith to follow Him wherever, and whatever He asks of
us. We take risks in many things in life with little thought; are you willing
to risk all for Jesus Christ? If a
person is to do anything worthwhile, there will be of necessity to take a risk,
risking everything and this is what Jesus Christ asks and demands of His bride,
God’s children, those He elected before time and we are to leap into what He
says, and we are to immediately do this and when we do this we find that the
Holy Spirit is in us and aiding us to do the will and commands of God. What is
your common sense based on, its foundation, you, or on God? This may seem mad, silly, impossible; take
them to Jesus Christ in faith, this faith that led you to make a decision to
follow Him and do not allow your common sense excuses keep you from doing what
God has commanded. Do you believe Him as you have said? How often we act as pagans in a crisis, our
willing to hold on to that which God has so clearly, so plainly revealed to us
in His word. Are you willing, daring
enough to place your faith in the character of God?
He who hears you hears Me,
He who rejects
you
Rejects Me, and he who rejects Me
Rejects Him
who sent Me.
Luke 10:16
Allow Jesus Christ seen in you
Richard L. Crumb
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