Wednesday 18 Dec 2013

Wednesday Reading: Luke 9:57-62

Key Verse: Luke 9:60
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

Devotion:
Some of the statements that Jesus came out with may seem a bit harsh to some people because of the watered down state of affairs that we live in. Jesus did not come to this world to placate everyone and give them all a warm fuzzy feeling inside, He came to sort the world out and bring them back to Him. Jesus came to seek and to save!

I am sure that people at that time were also showing signs of being weak in their beliefs just as we are today; let’s face it, this has been going on for a very long time. It is us who have grown cold and we are the ones who should be sorting out our lives. God has continued to seek us and to save us, all those who are willing to take a stand in His name. But for those who are not willing to take the Word of God for all that it is and want to continue doing things their own way until they think the time is right… Christ now gives them a choice… follow me or get left behind!

When we make a choice to follow Christ we are making a very important and far reaching choice. If we simply accept Him as our Saviour and ask for forgiveness we are safe; but should we not be aiming for more than just a safe life? Many people are just seeking a safe life with Christ but Jesus warned the man who wanted to follow Him that there was no place to call home now on earth. Our home is now in heaven, we are just living here whilst we hopefully fulfil what God has designed for us.

We do like to make excuses to continue on with our own lives instead of making a stand for Christ. We like to tell others just how much we are able to do for the church whilst really doing it for our own reasons. We like to live out our family or earthly lives even when God calls us to come forward and change. Jesus turned His own earthly life aside and followed what God required of Him. In the same manner we should be following what God has required of us – finding out what He has in stall for us means we need to stop and listen to Him instead of being caught up in our own lives all the time!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you help others?

Are you helping or hindering God?