FOUR REASONS WHY WE MAY BE UNAVAILABLE TO GOD:
(1) An unwillingness to give up security or comfort to follow Christ:
As
they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you
wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have
nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Lk. 9:57,58)
Years ago, in spreading the Gospel, I took strong, red-blooded businessmen
with me to the back alley's of one of the world's most abysmal locales. But
after a couple of hours of inhaling the ubiquitous aroma of burning tires
and human waste, while being jostled on rutty roads in tropical heat, one of
the men groaned, "Man, I can't take this." Today he luxuriates in
California's finest
environs.
(2) An unwillingness to allow Christ, rather than man, to determine your
responsibilities in life:
He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man 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." (Lk. 9:59,60)
Family expectations dictated that this fellow stick around home until his
father died. Christ however, did not allow him that option, by saying in
effect, "Let your spiritually dead relatives and friends bury your father
when he succumbs. Put my mission before family demands. Now."
I wonder how many of us are in bondage to family expectations at the expense
of Christ's call upon our lives?
(3) An unwillingness to sacrifice relationships closest to you to follow
Christ:
Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go
back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand
to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Lk.
9:61,62)
I suspect Christ knew that if this man went home, he would never again
return. As a young man struggling to follow Christ, I knew I had to
physically leave the city of my family. The pull and expectations of the
clan upon my life was simply too much to resist. So I left - at the cost of
family favor.
(4) An unwillingness to live by a single, God-given focus:
Jesus replied,
"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in
the kingdom of God." (Lk. 9:62)
The simple fact is, The man who trusts God, but with inward reservations
cannot hope to receive anything from the Lord, and the life of a man of
divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn. (James. 1:6-8
Phillips Translation)
QUESTION: From God's perspective, are you truly available to Him? If not,
what would it take to set you free?
From: THE FACTS OF THE MATTER
Sent in by George S....thanks!