November 12: Four Reasons Why We May Be Unavailable To God (1) An unwillingness to give up security or comfort to follow Christ: As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus replied, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. (Luke 9:57, 58) Years ago, in spreading the Gospel, I took strong, red-blooded businessmen with me to the back alleys of one of the worlds most abysmal locales. But after a couple of hours of inhaling the ubiquitous aroma of burning tires and human waste, while being jostled on rutty roads in tropical heat, one of the men groaned, Man… I cant take this. Today he luxuriates in Californias finest environs. (2) An unwillingness to allow Christ, rather than man to determine your responsibilities in life: He said to another man, Follow me. But the man replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:59, 60) Family expectations dictated that this fellow stick around home until his father died. Christ however, did not allow him that option, by saying in effect, Let your spiritually dead relatives and friends bury your father when he succumbs. Put my mission before family demands. Now. I wonder how many of us are in bondage to family expectations at the expense of Christs call upon our lives? (3) An unwillingness to sacrifice relationships closest to you to follow Christ: Still another said, I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family. Jesus replied, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:61, 62) I suspect Christ knew that if this man went home, He would never again return. As a young man struggling to follow Christ, I knew I had to physically leave the city of my family. The pull and expectations of the clan upon my life was simply too much to resist. So I left — at the cost of family favor. (4) An unwillingness to live by a single, God-given focus: Jesus replied, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62) The simple fact is, The man who trusts God, but with inward reservations… cannot hope to receive anything from the Lord, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn. (James 1:6-8 – Phillips Translation) QUESTION: From Gods perspective, are you truly available to Him? If not, what would it take to set you free? Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotionals.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 16:00:52 +0000
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