I am a natural procrastinator. I can put off almost everything I need to do for days, weeks, and even months! I can make excuses for my laziness quite easily. To avoid such a tendency does not come naturally but I have found that making a list will help me get the things done that need to be. An example of this procrastination is writing these blog posts. I set the goal to publish three a week and I do get them done, but probably only because I made that commitment, and I must keep it! There have been times when I am writing it and posting it just a few hours before it is published! There are other times when I will have a week, or even a month of posts written and just line them up to be published. But there are other things that I can find excuses to not do, like cleaning my house. I would much rather write than clean! Oh well! That’s my excuse, that I’m a natural procrastinator. What’s yours?
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 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.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62, (New International Version or NIV).
When it comes to our salvation, I did not neglect or procrastinate. I have always loved Jesus and I have wanted to serve Him to the best of my ability. But, even in my daily walk with God, I often do not follow through as I planned to do. Jesus was calling people to follow Him and some of them had excuses too. The first man said that he would follow Jesus everywhere. Yet, the answer that Jesus said is interesting. He simply informed the man that there was no monetary gain in following Him. That’s my interpretation anyway. I think that Jesus saw the motive as to why the man wanted to follow Him and the motive was to remain comfortable while following. Jesus was a traveling teacher, and He didn’t stay in one place too long. Jesus also didn’t rent a five-star hotel room for everyone that followed along either. His answer to the man who wanted to follow Him caused the man to stop following! No money, no kudos, no accolades, and the guy wasn’t interested anymore.
The second example of an excuse seems to many of us to be a valid excuse. The man wants to bury his father. Now, some commentators will say that at the time the tradition was for a son to remain at home to take care of his aging parents. The man was asking that Jesus wait for him to follow as a disciple until this obligation was fulfilled. Other commentators think that the man’s father was actually dead and needed to be buried. I don’t think this one fits the text very well. If the father was already dead then he would have to be buried immediately, or at least within twenty-four hours as this was the custom of the day. I think it is more likely that the man Jesus asked to come follow was saying that he was obligated to take care of his aging parents and would not be available to follow Jesus until his parents were deceased. The answer that Jesus gave fits this narrative better.
The third example of an excuse was that the person who was called to follow Jesus wanted to go and say goodbye to his family. Logically I can understand this. He didn’t want to just disappear and leave the family wondering where he went or what happened to him. Or perhaps there is another meaning to his words. Perhaps he wanted to go home and get things in order before leaving. Maybe he was married and needed to make certain that his wife was well provided for while he was gone. Or maybe he had children and needed to make arrangements for their education since he would be gone. Whatever were his reasons for wanting to return home he was not dedicated enough to Jesus to remain. Jesus replies that there is no turning back once you become a follower of Christ. It reminds me of another scripture.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his 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 people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:11-15, (NIV).
Weak Christians are tossed and turned on the storms of life. They run from one teaching to another just as a toddler learning to walk goes from person to person. If they don’t grow up and mature in their faith, they will always be tossed around on the waves of life. How do you grow up to be mature in Christ, you might ask? It begins with finding people you trust to teach you how to study the Bible, how to understand what you are hearing, and how to grow your faith. Church, Sunday School, and small groups are great places to learn and grow.
What are some other excuses for not following Jesus? I have heard from some that they want to live their life first, and then repent at the end of their days so that they can slide into heaven but have had their fun first. Somehow, I don’t think that will work for several reasons. First, you don’t know when the end of your days will come. People die at all different ages. Secondly, the definition of fun is actually sinning, and God sees it all and knows your motivation and will not accept you if your motives are not legitimate. God sees your plan and knows that you are simply mocking Him and He will not acknowledge a mocker. Finally, your heart isn’t right with God now, what makes you think that it will be suddenly made right just before you die? This is a dangerous excuse to use.
Another excuse people use is that they are too busy to follow Jesus. Well, dear friend, the only thing you can take to heaven with you is your faith in Jesus. All your busyness is simply things of the world, and your mind and heart are not set upon a heavenly home. If you are too busy to follow Jesus, then God is too busy to let you into heaven.
Some people think that they don’t need to follow Jesus to get to heaven because they are a good person. Some think that following the teachings of Buddha or Mohammed, Hindu teachings, or others are good enough. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are or how good you think other religions are, what matters is what God counts as good. He is a jealous God and doesn’t cohabit with other gods. Your thinking needs some readjustment if you are serious about going to heaven.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23, (NIV).
There are no excused people in heaven. Either you follow Jesus, or you won’t be there! It is a hard reality for some people to believe, but it is what the Bible teaches us from the words of Jesus. I just want to be certain that I am not turned away and I hope you aren’t either. Don’t gamble with your soul.
Until next time…Katherine
Katherine Speaks 