Daily Manna: Not An Easy Road

Saturday 02, November 2013

TEXT: LUKE 9:52-62

KEY VERSE: “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

The path of least resistance easily appeals to most people. Very few will dare plod the rigorous avenue laden with thorns and thistles. Even so, adherents to strict, altruistic convictions are not easy to come by.

The above statements capture the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ as He charted the daunting course to Jerusalem. There He paid the supreme price for man’s sin. He had set His face like a flint on this journey and nothing, not even the agony of death, could alter this course. As He proceeded, there emerged different responses from His disciples and others.

James and John, for instance, wanted the destruction of a Samaritan village for daring to refuse the Lord a passage through their territory. An acquaintance wanted to follow the Lord without a thorough knowledge of its implications. Another wanted to bury the dead before becoming a real disciple. Yet, another requested a ceremonial goodbye before accepting the call to follow Him. Evidently, these men did not comprehend the demands of discipleship. To them, following Jesus was conditional. Yet, the believer’s call to discipleship is incomparably greater than personal convenience and comfort. Frankly, it is a call to cross-bearing, self denial, pain, suffering and ultimately justification and glorification. It is not a call that is answered on personal whims.

Christ’s call to follow Him requires unswerving convictions and focused commitment. We cannot burden ourselves with doubtful convictions and attachments of this life and still hope to journey acceptably with Him. It is only those who gratefully accept the call to follow the Lord all the way, the odds notwithstanding, who will eventually receive His crown and enjoy His eternal fellowship.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A disciple is a follower who has forsaken all.

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