Luke 9:57-62 (NLT)
As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”
The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”
Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
“Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their thoughts.” (page 72)
My wife and I have a wonderful relationship. Among the many things we do to ensure that it stays that way is communicate daily. We simply sit there and talk and listen to one another. Sort of like in those days of dating. I've learned countless things through this process, including that I can be sitting there with her physically but be a million miles away in my head. What I mean by this is that she can be talking and I’m sitting there listening and nodding my head, but my brain may be thinking of what I forgot to do that day or lesson plans for school or an idea for my next book or how hot she looks in that outfit. You get the point. While she has my attention, she doesn't have all of me, just a part. Like a shell of a person.
When this occurs, I’m not being the best I husband I could be. I’m giving my wife only part, not the whole of me, mind and body. And it’s the same thing that happens in our relationship with GOD. As “good” of Christians as we think of ourselves, most times we are giving GOD but a piece of ourselves, not the whole. We may talk to him in prayer or sing worship songs or do some community service for him, all the while thinking about other things like what time the game is, what new app they have for my iPhone, or when the clearance sale ends. We are giving him but a hollow shell of who we really are.
Like in our human relationships, our lives should be completely devoted to GOD. He should get not only our time, talents, and tithe, but our thoughts as well.
It's been the theme throughout the “Profiles of the Lukewarm” chapter: It's all or nothing!
Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read page 72 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski
