ESOCS Devotional 4 October 2022
TEXT: LUKE 9:51–62
MEMORY VERSE: “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 9:62
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
It is not every follower of Christ that has achieved greatly in the kingdom service. Many have achieved minimally, some have completely failed, whereas there are those who have excelled and made giant strides and great impact in the ministry. The difference is in the level of commitment and the extent of sacrifice one is ready to make in following Christ. In this text, we see Christ’ interaction with three persons that represent three necessary conditions for following Christ and three categories of persons we should not be, if we want to follow Christ and be effective in the ministry. These are people who place premium on the following:
- Worldly comfort and guarantee of the future; at least minimal comfort – (Vs. 57 – 58)
There are basic needs that man requires in his passage on earth. This basic needs resolve the primary problems of food, shelter, and security; without them life will be hard and very difficult. It is the need to meet this needs that men work for; they strive for wealth, affluence, and power to guarantee the continuous flow of the necessary resources that will ensure that these needs are met. Man’s life struggles revolves around this. Christ teaches us in His answer to the first man, that these are non-issues to Him and everyone who will follow Him must be ready to give up what others consider as necessities. The singular thing that matters in the kingdom business is the kingdom business and anyone whose purpose in life is to do well on earth and is concerned with achieving success as the world defines it will not be able to follow Christ. You must be willing to sacrifice everything even life itself to follow Christ as you should.
- Concern for duties and responsibilities to family
This category of people want to follow Christ or answer His call but at a convenient time. They want to wait a little while to fulfill some family duties or finish some responsibilities and attend to certain things they consider very important before following Christ. The point is that the kingdom of God and its proclamation is so important that it cannot wait. His answer, “Let the dead bury their dead,” signifies that the spiritually dead can be concerned with the issues that make men hesitate to follow Christ. But he that really wants to follow Christ must do so without delay.
- Concern and need to preserve family ties and relationships.
The major problem here was the man had too much concern for family; enough to interfere with the work of the ministry. Such a person will keep looking back and bringing family considerations into the work of the ministry.
The way the Disciples of Christ answered His call is instructive for those who want to follow Christ. In Matthew 4:20, Peter and Andrew straightway left their nets (business) and followed Christ, while in verse 22 James and John left their ship (business) and their father (family) immediately and followed Christ.
The parable of the treasure hidden in a field (Matt. 13:44 shows us the right attitude in answering the call. It is like a man who found a treasure in a land and sold all he has to buy that parcel of land. Nothing else will do.
CHALLENGES
- What do you consider the difference between the early Apostles and many of today’s followers of Christ? List as many as you can.
- What will you sincerely be willing to give up in order to follow Christ?
PRAYERS
- Lord, help me overcome the world and its pull. Give me the grace to love you as I ought and to go with you all the way, not counting the cost. Amen.
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ESOCS Devotional 4 October 2022
