Make Room For Me

^'As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”
 
Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62 (NLT)

The call to discipleship is a life changing thing with many exciting and challenging twists and turns and my first thoughts when I am called to it should always be whether I have what it takes to do what I need to do. In case you don't know, delivering the Good News will cost you something. More of Him means less of me. So then, I, the would-be disciple, should know what is required of me and Christ spells out the job description to me quite plainly and in no short order. 

He desires that none should perish, but to live for Him is a life long commitment that means more than just the day of acceptance. Being one of the family brings a rich inheritance as well as a responsibility to do more than just show up for the bread and the wine. I know my intentions are to do good, but God always knows my heart. He's going to look at my good intentions and point out what my eyes might not see because my heart isn't where it ought to be. I so appreciate Him for that honesty! Brutal, but necessary. Savior of my soul and once again saving me from future pain and heartache for the mistakes and missed opportunities that I would bring on myself. Those self-inflicted wounds that I could avoid if I would only take the time to count the costs.

I will follow You Lord, but... In my haste to follow Him perhaps I failed to count the cost.  Jesus gives me a warning in my way- too- hasty excitement to join the cause in this case to awaken me to the facts that I need to know, so that I might not find myself in a situation of regrets later. Did you know that my commitment to Him could mean that I must give up any thoughts that I might have had for the greater things of the world? Choosing to work for Him necessarily means that I must give up any worldly advantage I might have had otherwise. My loyalty to Him will for certain cost me something that will lead to a painful self-sacrifice. Building His Church costs a lot and takes a lot of time and patience. For Jesus, He had no bed or no place to call home. Building His Church cost Him His life. For another...

I will follow You Lord, but...  It is clear that excuses to delay the discipleship work for love of family and friends is considered a form of neglect of duty and thus is obviously not acceptable to Him.  For another...

I will follow You Lord, but... It is clear that I intend to seek an audience with family first, perhaps because I love them, and to discuss the matters at hand and to set my affairs in order. This is also an example of the unacceptable path to discipleship for how can I keep my focus on what is important and what lies ahead, while being distracted by the people and the things in my past? Might the looking back lead to the drawing back to the old habits and friends and thus thinking about what I had and what I am asked to give up and might that thinking lead to regrets and soon enough to falling away? This is just one more good example of why I should not fail to count the cost. For another...

I will follow You Lord, no excuses, no turning back, no regrets. I will do what it takes to make room for You in my life. I counted the cost and did the pros and the cons analysis and sold my fields to purchase the Pearl of Great Price. I found You and for that I am eternally grateful.

Source: 'Drummingthemessagehome', June 17, 2019, repost.