Always On The Road

Always on the Road

Read: Luke 9:57-58

“Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Luke 9:58

“I do not pray for success. I pray for faithfulness.”

—Mother Teresa

IN WORD We might cringe if we heard a preacher give such a discouraging call to discipleship. Isn’t the kingdom of God a little more attractive than that? Isn’t this likely to drive folks away? And what’s wrong with nests, anyway? Nothing, except that Jesus knows our tendency to focus on making a home for ourselves.

Try this little exercise: Compare, on the one hand, the amount of time we spend with our eyes focused on getting an education, earning a living, establishing a career, building a home, staying healthy, and achieving our goals; and, on the other hand, the amount of time we spend with our eyes focused on our Master and His mission.

Yet which is more important? Our answer to that defines whether or not we are disciples. Not that the elements of each option are always incompatible—it isn’t wrong to earn a living, build a home, or stay healthy. Jesus’ followers just cannot make priorities of those endeavors. When they do, their lives are out of order.

IN DEED Discipleship isn’t about making a home in this world, it’s about preparing for another. Discipleship is all about investing in the kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of this world. Following the example of Abraham, it is a forward focus on the city of God (Hebrews 11:10).

Jesus wants to make this clear to His followers. Anytime we face a choice between settling into this life and striving for a kingdom still in formation, we must choose the latter. We simply cannot settle here; we’re on a journey.