Priorities

Should what we want for ourselves come first?

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9:51-62

Jesus seems harsh here, telling the man who wants to wait until he buries his father before following, but what is really going on here?

First, this is about tradition.  The man who was probably the first born son, wants to be there to inherit his father's estate, so he wants to wait until his father dies, which may not be imminent.

Or, if the father has died, he may want to wait a year until the bones are clean and can be stowed away in the tomb.  I know, that sounds gross, but it was how things were done.

In either case, the man's priorities are clear.  He wants what is best for himself before accepting the call to follow.

Our priorities matter to God.  When called, He expects us to drop everything and follow.

So, I guess we should be expecting the call with enthusiasm and joy.

Like a parent whose daughter is about to go into labor, we should have our bags packed and ready to go the moment we get the call.

But we tend to forget that we are God's children and God has a plan for us.

We set our own course and put our dreams first, which is fine, so long as we remind ourselves that all we receive is from God and there will come a time when He needs us to act on His behalf.

When that call comes, we should be ready.

More to come...