Submitted by Sam Nobles
“Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 ESV)
The Lord often commands us to
go, but we often seek His permission to stay. During Jesus’ life on earth, many
people wanted to follow Him and be His disciples, but things seemed to get in
the way.
One guy insisted that he could
not follow Jesus because he had to take care of his elderly parents (Luke 9:59-60). Others wanted to make sure
their life was in order before they followed Jesus (Luke
9:61-62). Still others really desired to follow Jesus, but they
wanted to know the details of what they would be doing first (Luke 9:57-58).
Jesus never excused those who
found it difficult to follow Him. In fact, He made it clear that to follow Him
meant that He was the only leader, and He set the direction in which people
were to follow.
It is easy to convince ourselves
that Jesus does not want us to adjust our lives. We do this by pointing to, and
acknowledging the success we are experiencing right where we are. Yet Jesus
often told His disciples to elsewhere despite the success they were enjoying.
Peter had just pulled in the
greatest catch of his fishing career when Jesus invited him to leave everything
to follow him (Luke 5:1-11). Philip was
enjoying success as an evangelist in Samaria when the Holy Spirit instructed
him to leave and go to the deserts of Gaza (Acts
8:25-40).
Success where we are can be our
greatest hindrance to going where Jesus wants us to be. If you are comfortable
where you are, you may be tempted to resist the invitation of Jesus to go
elsewhere. Don’t think that God does not want you go somewhere in service to
Him. When God calls me and you to go, it could mean across the street or it
could mean to the far side of the world. Wherever God leads, be ready to go!
Scripture to Claim:
“By faith Abraham
obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an
inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
(Hebrews 11:8 ESV)
