Luke 9:59-62

"And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:59-62

Man always wants to do things on his own terms. We always have the audacity to make demands for our SERVICE!! Jesus called these two men to follow him, but they wanted to do it under their own conditions. One wanted to bury his father; the other wanted to bid those at his house farewell. We are not called to bargain; we are called to follow Him!

Forfeiture occurs! It is an all-out giving over to him. We do not spell out the terms of the contract. There is nothing for us to negotiate with! He gave us everything we possess. What is there to bargain with or bargain for? It's all His! He will not ask us to do anything that would have a negative impact on the kingdom of God. God's kingdom is the most important thing. It is always to the greater glory, not us but others!

How many of us say that we will follow Jesus wherever, but throw in our personal stipulations? I will follow once: I clean up my debt, mow the lawn, wash the car, finish painting this masterpiece, or watching this movie. Any number of things are wanted to be finished or accomplished before we commit ourselves to Christ. Its almost like a "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours!" Let me do this, and I'll do this for you! We are to be servants of God, and His work is our priority in life. Our life is to be given over completely to His service at once. These stipulations hinder our service and growth. We cannot impact fully for God when we are of a divided heart! Nor can we fully reach our potential if we do not give all over to God and quit worrying about what He will take care of. Jesus would not call you unless He planned on meeting your needs. He will meet your needs and the needs of your family!

In the Marines, we used to say, " I didn't sign up for that!" When I enlisted, I signed a contract for 8 years of my life. The contract gave my hide over to Uncle Sam. Negotiations were not offered. The same thing happened with God. I "signed" a contract with God through Jesus to give my soul to His service. I am His vessel for His eternal use. Do not pass Go or collect $200. It is a dropping of everything...a cleansing of what we did that got us on the wrong path. We must hustle to do God's bidding. There is no nitpicking of the contract! Jesus did not try to barter with God before He came to Earth. He heeded the Father's wishes ASAP! You should too!

kenny