Err Space.

Yesterday we had the privilege of hearing a powerful , timely message from Pastor Shane. Our youth pastor shared from the book of Luke:

As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Jesus said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)

This week, we will consider some of the points that our pastor shared in the sermon. Let’s begin with reflection on our own spiritual state. During the sermon, Pastor Shane noted that some people have been claiming to be Christians for a very long time, while others consider themselves to be new in the faith. For all of us, today's question is the same: Do we really love Jesus?

The Luke passage shows us that, in addition to Jesus, there are other loves we may hold in our hearts. We love the security of having a place to live. We love the honor and accolades that come with bearing responsibility for handling the final arrangements of our loved ones. We love the prestige and sympathy that arises when people realize how much we have given up for the sake of our faith-walk. But our pastor’s sermon carried a strong warning: Jesus is not in a competition. This Christian walk is an all-or-nothing deal. If Jesus has to wait for you to handle some other issues before you turn your attention to His call, or if Jesus has to wait for the applause of men to settle down before you're able to hear Him speak, then there’s a problem.

Does the Lord have your full attention today?