The Seriousness of Commitment. Luke 9:57-62 The greatest example of Christian commitment is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Early in His life, He said, “I must be about My Father’s business.” At the beginning of His public ministry, He said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.” Near the end of His years of ministry, the Lord Jesus said, “I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following. On His journey through Jericho, He told Zacchaeus, “I must abide at thy house.” In His teaching, our Lord made it clear, “I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day.” Again, He stated His commitment, Other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring.” In His final prayer, He clearly stated, “I have finished the work which Thou gave Me to do.”
There is no question that commitment to God and the work He has designated for us demands serious commitment on the part of each one of us. Commitment means that we yield without hesitation to the will of another person or work that has been given to us. We owe our Lord Jesus Christ our complete loyalty even though we have other obligations for which we are responsible. To go from the place of prayer as we seek the guidance and fellowship of God, to taking unreserved action on a matter is what is involved in commitment.
Times of discussion, cooperation, and fellowship are important. But the time will come when we have to abandon our own plans and ambitions to follow the Lord to the place of His choosing and the work, He would have us do. Following our Lord means we are willing to forfeit and forsake the material ties of possessions and personal ties. Legitimate “things” may have to be dropped as weights that hinder the work to which He calls us. Other things we thought were urgent may have to be set aside until a later time. “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”
The course Jesus followed as He left Galilee with His face “steadfastly set to go to Jerusalem,” was to go to Samaria. The people in a village there would not welcome Him because He was going to Jerusalem. So, He then crossed the Jordan River and went to Judea and Jerusalem by the way of Jericho. As He and those who traveled with Him were on that journey, a number of incidents happened that Luke wrote about for our learning. Apparently, there was a large number of people traveling with Him included both men and women. Those people all associated themselves with the Lord and His mission. There were at least three different people with Him, but their commitment was not total, nor would their service have been. They were willing to follow Him at their convenience and in their own time.
Christian discipleship takes precedence over other claims that are on us. Material comforts may have to be forfeited because the One we follow had “no place to lay His head” like animals and birds. Because of His work, he had no home of His own He could return to like the foxes that have dens and birds that have nests. The service of the Lord May require us to go without material comforts to accomplish what needs to be done. Even the “things” we have may need to be quickly dropped in order to do what His will demands. Therefore, those disciples and perhaps us, need to be able to “travel light.”
Family obligations and relationships, as well as social responsibilities, cannot be allowed to take precedence over the serious commitment to follow the Lord. Our Lord dearly loved His mother and family, but as the Perfect Man, the Son of Man, He had an eternal purpose while here on earth. That was a specific work only He could do. The temporary things that tie us to the earth cannot be given first place over the things that are eternal. We have necessary responsibilities toward our families, but only our Lord, who knows every situation in which our lot is cast, has the right to direct our lives as He chooses.
One who follows the Lord must also be persistent and consistent. Half-hearted commitment is not acceptable. We are not given the right to pick and choose when it comes to bearing the cross we have been given. There is a real cost to following Christ. A farmer plowing a field who looks back to see how he is doing rather than what he is going to do will leave a crooked furrow behind him. There are many things that can tie us to the world if we allow ourselves to keep looking back. The pleasures of sin attract believers the same as unbelievers if we allow it. The social obligations we think we have to a community can be a hindrance to our Christian commitment if we allow them to. The desire to “win them to Christ” by being like, acting like dressing like those who love their sins, will stop us from being useful to the Lord.
To not be “fit for the kingdom of God” should be a permanent fear for every child of God. No one wants to be saved “by the skin of your teeth.” When we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, He became our Lord. That means He has the right of authority over us and to control our lives in a way that is best for us and is pleasing to Him. We must not allow anything to keep us from obeying and following Him. Love for Christ is a constraining power.
LUKE 10 MOVING TOWARD JERUSALEM