"And He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God." Another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home." But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:59-62)"
Oh, I'll follow Jesus BUT...'
'Yes, I'm a believer, BUT...'
'I'm a christian, BUT Jesus didn't mean that...'
Oh heavenly Father, help us overcome our deceitful hearts.
The Way is narrow indeed (Matt. 7, John 14), and one of the greatest stumbling blocks is hanging onto people who are not willing to forsake all and follow Jesus with all their hearts. Take, for instance, the men Jesus addresses in the Luke 9 passage quoted above. The first is unwilling to let go of his unbelieving natural family members, and uses as an excuse not to follow Jesus, the attending of a ritual of hopelessness and death. The second, making the same error of holding onto his natural family (Matt. 12:48-50), Jesus' judges as unworthy to enter the kingdom of God.
2006-09-22
05:12:50
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10 answers
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Anonymous