January 24

Matthew 8:14-22 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:

Journal Entry

Scripture

19 And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." 20And 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." 21Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

Observation

I'm learning what it means to follow Christ. In verse 20, Jesus tells the scribe that he is in essence homeless; "Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head". The scribe like many others probably thought that following Jesus would lead to power and riches. He did not have any idea that following Jesus would involve hardship and is costly. In verse 22, Jesus tells the disciple to let the dead bury their own dead and follow him. In another words, drop everything and follow him immediately, leaving things of the world to take care of itself.

Application

Often I've been distracted by things of the world such as family, business, or finances. I need to follow Christ without any conditions: Without my knowing what comes next, where I will be or how He wants me to serve, unconditionally with total surrender to the Father's will and my eyes upon Jesus. I have also often delayed in following Jesus, usually waiting for my own timing after I've examined my schedule. I need to make myself available immediately and change my schedule accordingly.

Prayer

Father, thank you for giving clear instructions. I pray that I would truly understand what it means to follow Christ and be willing to be obedient. I would follow Christ NOT when it is convenient for me but at ALL times no matter what the cost is, not according to my timing but yours. Amen

--Kyung Ho Hong