Following?
"Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, 'Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.'" Luke 9:57
Really? Are we really willing to follow Him wherever He goes?
Luke 9:59 speaks of a man saying he's willing if Jesus will let him first go and bury his father. His father, however, is not yet dead. This man is speaking in terms of getting his affairs in order. He's waiting for his father to pass in order to gain his inheritance. He was waiting to be financially sound before he set out on his journey with Jesus.
Ouch...that stings.
How often do we think twice about giving because we keep seeing the balance in our own checking account flashing in our head?
And then there's then man in Luke 9:61. The one who says, "Lord, I will follow You, but..."
Who new that a little conjunction...three small letters....could carry so much weight.
Oswald Chambers talks of this man that says, "but". The man that "is intensely ready to go, but never goes."
Do you find yourself here? Here in the place of, "Lord, I'm willing, but (fill in the blank)."
Life in Christ calls for total surrender.
For me, a DIY gal, the word surrender can be frightening.
But thankfully for me, God is a patient and persistent teacher. He shows me that total surrender to him....saying I'll go without hesitation....means being in closer relation with Him.
It's simply obedience.
Be obedient to whatever God calls you to do.
When you think of being obedient to God's call, don't just think about the "big" things (for me the frightening things), like being called into the ministry or being called to the mission field. Think about the other calls. The gentle nudges that we get (and often ignore). The nudges that say, make that phone call, send that card, stop...and really listen to that prayer request. Those calls, matter as much to God as the ones we label as "big".
You may never know the impact God will have on someone, using you as the vessel.
Be obedient, be willing to be used by God.
It's likely that you won't ever witness the change that you make in someones life, but one change that you are guaranteed to see is the change that it makes in your own life.
Stumbling along, following Jesus,
Tracey
<><
Praying this week for a brother and sister in Christ, sad for them in the flesh, but rejoicing in the spirit, for the eternity that awaits this sweet sister. Thankful that she will have dear Sara to meet her at Heaven's gates.
How can I pray for you today? Leave me a comment, knowing that each prayer concern will be earnstly prayed over and never taken lightly.
thanking Him for....
paint, brushes, and easels
more paint on her face and hands than on the paper
face painting! :)
cool, breezy days
exciting vollyball games
points scored!
friends that come to watch(support) her
a small school
Homecoming parades
we're a three traffic light town ;)
photobooth pictures
yarn
learning to loom (because knitting and crochet didn't work out so well)
community (in real life and online)
Really? Are we really willing to follow Him wherever He goes?
Luke 9:59 speaks of a man saying he's willing if Jesus will let him first go and bury his father. His father, however, is not yet dead. This man is speaking in terms of getting his affairs in order. He's waiting for his father to pass in order to gain his inheritance. He was waiting to be financially sound before he set out on his journey with Jesus.
Ouch...that stings.
How often do we think twice about giving because we keep seeing the balance in our own checking account flashing in our head?
And then there's then man in Luke 9:61. The one who says, "Lord, I will follow You, but..."
Who new that a little conjunction...three small letters....could carry so much weight.
Oswald Chambers talks of this man that says, "but". The man that "is intensely ready to go, but never goes."
Do you find yourself here? Here in the place of, "Lord, I'm willing, but (fill in the blank)."
Life in Christ calls for total surrender.
For me, a DIY gal, the word surrender can be frightening.
But thankfully for me, God is a patient and persistent teacher. He shows me that total surrender to him....saying I'll go without hesitation....means being in closer relation with Him.
It's simply obedience.
Be obedient to whatever God calls you to do.
When you think of being obedient to God's call, don't just think about the "big" things (for me the frightening things), like being called into the ministry or being called to the mission field. Think about the other calls. The gentle nudges that we get (and often ignore). The nudges that say, make that phone call, send that card, stop...and really listen to that prayer request. Those calls, matter as much to God as the ones we label as "big".
You may never know the impact God will have on someone, using you as the vessel.
Be obedient, be willing to be used by God.
It's likely that you won't ever witness the change that you make in someones life, but one change that you are guaranteed to see is the change that it makes in your own life.
Stumbling along, following Jesus,
Tracey
<><
Praying this week for a brother and sister in Christ, sad for them in the flesh, but rejoicing in the spirit, for the eternity that awaits this sweet sister. Thankful that she will have dear Sara to meet her at Heaven's gates.
How can I pray for you today? Leave me a comment, knowing that each prayer concern will be earnstly prayed over and never taken lightly.
thanking Him for....
paint, brushes, and easels
more paint on her face and hands than on the paper
face painting! :)
cool, breezy days
exciting vollyball games
points scored!
friends that come to watch(support) her
a small school
Homecoming parades
we're a three traffic light town ;)
photobooth pictures
yarn
learning to loom (because knitting and crochet didn't work out so well)
community (in real life and online)
This was exactly what I needed to hear today, Tracey. So often I forget that the "gentle nudges" are from Him, too. .
ReplyDeleteThe things I'm being called to do right now are not big or showy, and they won't bring praise from this world. I love your reminder that God is in these small details, too.
(I just drafted a post on that; see, I told you we're twins!)
:) You think God's trying to tell us something?
ReplyDelete