S. Luke 9:59-62 (NIV) “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.’”
O. There is a cost to being a Christ follower. The cost here is to prioritize following Jesus over our earthly commitments. Jesus often used hyperbole (speech that exaggerates) to teach spiritual truth. The Bible says it is good to honor our fathers and mothers (Ephesians 6) and that it is good to mourn the loss of family members (Deuteronomy 34:8). But we are not to prioritize these over our commitment to following Christ and proclaiming His Kingdom. We are to value our relationship with Jesus and sharing the gospel of Christ over anything.
A. Michelle and I try very hard to honor our family relationship and commitments. However, we do not participate in events that would keep us from attending a church service or a church related activity. We schedule our lives around the church calendar (because many of the things on the church calendar we know are for our spiritual benefit). Years ago, we made these decisions. If someone from out-of-town visits us on a weekend, we invite them to church. If they don’t want to attend, we let them know we will do something together after our service (as an example). If a family member hosts an event on a Sunday, we let them know we’ll arrive after our church service. There is a cost to following Jesus and He has blessed us for making sure He is always first in our lives.
P. Thank you Lord for teaching us this truth. Holy Spirit, fill us and guides us to continue to honor you first with our schedule (our time) and still shine your light to our family members. In Jesus’ name!
