Wheat field Banner

Gleanings From The Word

Category: devotional

  • Foxes – Obedience to Jesus

    Foxes – Obedience to Jesus

    Red Fox

    Early this morning, I heard the eerie sound of foxes yipping. It  reminded me of a time when I was driving home after dropping our eldest son, Kris, off at a camp/retreat center where he was working for the summer. Off to the side of the road, I saw a big red fox. 

    She appeared to be in good shape and had what looked like a rabbit in her jaws. I thought she was headed home to share the meal with her kits. Wherever she was going, she was making good time.

    That sound and memory of the fox stayed with me the rest of the night, and I awoke thinking of Jesus’ words.

    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, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet 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 his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62 ESV

    These are strange words from the Son of God, who came to save people. They seem almost harsh and uncaring. Do they mean that Jesus has no compassion?

    Not at all! It was His love for us, His compassion for us, that brought Him to earth as an infant. He came to rescue us. This story is designed to show how people often respond to God’s call on their lives. It has nothing to do with the largesse of Jesus’ heart.

    Like the men in this gospel account, we often declare that we are Jesus’ disciples. However, in this passage and others, He clearly tells us that following Him has a cost. Our faith and discipleship will be tested.

    Yet, when push comes to shove and we are called to follow, we offer up some excuse or another.

    I will follow you anywhere, Lord, as long as it is where I want to go and when I want to go. I will follow you anywhere, Lord, except there. I will do what you command, but surely, you do not really expect me to forgive “him,” do you? You do not really want me to give, do you? You cannot mean that I should be the one to give in.

    Are any of these sounding remotely familiar? The truth is that “No, Lord” is an oxymoron. The only correct answer is “Yes, Lord”.

    Following Jesus isn’t always easy. Anyone who says it is either doesn’t understand the truth or is a liar.

    Are you saying yes when He asks? Or are you making excuses?

    You will not lose your salvation if you say no, but you will miss out on many blessings. You will be the poorer for your reluctance.

    Until next time, may you be able to say “Yes” to all that He asks of you.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Check these posts out

    Sealed – guaranteed by the Holy Spirit

    Right belief and right living.

    Every member is important

    Goose feathers

  • Goose Feathers and maturity in Christ

    Goose Feathers and maturity in Christ

    Canada goose wings spread wide

    I stood and watched the two goose feathers dancing on the lake  in the breeze. One was curved like a “c” and floated on the rounded part of its back. The other was shaped like an upside-down “u” and floated on the uprights.

    Each danced differently along the surface of the water. The “c”-shaped feather swirled, while the “u”-shaped feather walked and skipped along the surface. Eventually, they touched, joined together, and danced with a new rhythm. When the two joined, they rolled and tumbled across the surface.

    As I watched them, a goose landed nearby. The wake of its landing hit the feathers, and they quickly sank into the lake.

    The feathers were light and had no problem standing up to the gentle breeze along the water. When the waves picked up, they could not stay afloat any longer.

    The same thing can happen to believers. We can be deceived and easily sunk when we do not know the truth of God’s Word.

    He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  Ephesians 4:10-16 NIV

    God has given each of us a calling and a ministry. Part and parcel of attaining that calling, and completing that ministry, is growing up in the faith. If we remain infants we can be blown around, confused and eventually even loose heart. We will not lose our salvation if that happens, but we miss out on much of the blessing and purpose that God has designed and planned for us.

    Floating close to the feathers was a stick. It stayed the course while the feathers danced around. It stayed the course when the goose landed. I suspect that even if the goose had landed on the stick, it would simply have popped back up and stayed the course once more.

    As mature Christians, we can exhibit all the joy and freedom of the dancing feathers, but still stay the course like the floating stick. We have the best of both worlds.

    Until next time, may you grow ever more like Christ.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    You might enjoy

    What and where will your legacy be?

    Thoughts on foxes and obedience to Jesus

    Sealed – guaranteed by the Holy Spirit

    Encouragement in the shadows