“Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t
want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I
want You. – C.S. Lewis
(Gospel text: Mk 6:7-13)
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began
to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over
unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing
for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in
their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay
there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you
or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off
your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached
repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who
were sick and cured them.
If Jesus called you to drop
everything and follow him, could you?
Could
you leave behind your car, your friends, or your computer? I will be the first
to admit that I would have an incredibly difficult time doing so. Yet, when
Jesus says to drop everything and follow him, I don’t think he’s just talking
about physical things. I think that when you step outside of your comfort zone
to follow Jesus, you also have to give up a sense of security, comfort, and
familiarity. In my mind, giving up these things may be even more difficult than
giving up an iPhone.
Most of the time, Jesus doesn’t
call us to action when it’s easy for us.
We
might have to give up our physical goods or our sense of certainty and security
in order to follow Him. Jesus might call us to go out of our comfort zones, but
we have to trust in him to care for us during this time. This is difficult to
do, but look at how beautiful it is. Would we ever truly know how much trust we
had in our Lord if we did not? Would we ever see how much good comes when you step out into the unknown?
Today we are challenged to ask
ourselves if we could “drop everything and go”. Could you put your fears
aside and trust in the Lord? Could you drop everything, physically and
mentally, and follow him?
After all, we haven't arrived yet;
we're just on a journey.
Every day, God gives you opportunities
to do the works of the kingdom, just as the Twelve did. Try to be on the
lookout for them when they pop up.
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