July 4, 2018
Happy Independence Day!
Luke 9:57-62
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he 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.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God
.”
New International Version (NIV)
                How many followers do you have?  Some of my friends have enormous followings on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  On Twitter we are asked, “Do you want to follow this person?”  Following can be treacherous after all.  I think of the tombstone which read, “Remember friend as you pass by, as you are now, so once was I.   As I am now soon you may be.  Prepare for death and follow me.”  Someone said, “To follow you I’m not content until I know which way you went.” 

                At the outset of his ministry, Jesus simply asked people to follow him.  Many did.  At times it was trendy to follow Jesus.  Great crowds followed him.  But Jesus saw their hearts.  In these verses three “would-be followers” of Jesus reveal their true colors.  Jesus was not plagued by co-dependence.  He said to the first, “I have no place to lay my head.”  Jesus told the second to skip his father’s funeral to follow him.  To the third Jesus said, “You can’t follow me and say let me first . . .”

                Jesus wants us to follow him.  But he clarifies expectations from the start.  Following Jesus meant carrying a cross in the first century.  One pastor bragged to another that they had purchased a decorative cross for their sanctuary for $100,000.  The other pastor said, “There was a time when Christians got those for free.” 

                Will we deny ourselves and follow Jesus today?  It is time to decide.

 Pray with me:  
Father, we hear the voice of Jesus calling us to follow him.  Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus so that we may follow our Lord in all that we say and do today and every day.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 
  This year we focus our Every Day with Jesus readings on Jesus’ story.  With references to Tallowood's Read Through the Bible in 2018 daily reading plan, let's focus our undivided attention on Jesus and follow where he lead. He will not fail. Neither will we!
 
Joyfully, 
 
Duane 
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