“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.'”
– Luke 9:59-62
For the last couple of days, we’ve been talking about saying “yes” to God and we’ve looked at two Biblical examples, including Mary, who said “yes” even though she stood to lose everything, and Zechariah, who chose not to say “yes” even though he had everything to gain. I want you to become a person who is always ready and willing to agree with God when He calls you, so today, I’m going to give you a few common pitfalls to avoid when you hear His voice asking you to do something that you feel is beyond you. First of all, don’t let fear stop you. It’s natural to feel afraid when Jesus asks you to step out of your comfort zone — it simply means that you’re human. Since He is a big God, He has big dreams for you. This is why you must remember that where you see impossibility, He sees possibility. Don’t reject His promises simply because your human mind can’t conceive of His ways; instead, trust His heart and let Him lead you to things beyond your human limitations. Second, don’t demand clarity. Trust says “yes” to God without knowing exactly what the road will look like, but clarity only agrees on certain conditions. When you ask Jesus to fill in the blanks and give you a play-by-play of the journey before it starts, you are not really obeying Him. Saying “yes” means that you don’t have all the details, but you know the Master Planner and you trust the skill of His design. Finally, don’t use responsibility as scapegoat. Worrying is not your God-given job, so I urge you not to use it as your identity. Don’t say things like, “I have to be responsible for these things because no one else in my family is.” I can tell you, friend, that your family doesn’t need you to worry more; in fact, in their hearts and minds they probably wish you worried less and laughed more. It’s never irresponsible to follow Christ’s call on your life, in fact, through Spiritual eyes it’s not even risky, because He has already gone before you! When you say “yes” to Jesus, it’s going to be amazing. Nothing is impossible with Him and He wants to bring the glory and power of Heaven into your life and circumstances as He uses you to show His light to the world! Isn’t that wonderful news? |
Prayer
Jesus, I choose to trust you today and to heed your call, even though I don’t know exactly where the road will lead.
Reflection
Which of the trust-destroying pitfalls above do you identify with the most? Will you allow Jesus to lead you out of it?
