Traveling Light

 There's a word spoken by the Father that can strike terror into our hearts. That word is "Go." Both the Father and Jesus have spoken it time and again to those who would follow them. The Father spoke it to Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and all of the prophets. Jesus spoke it to Peter, Paul, and to each of His disciples. They speak it still today, to you and to me.

Following hard after God will always involve going. Yes there are times we're to stand still, but that is a temporary place. To those who would know Him and His intimacy, the call is always to go. If we're to be with Him, we must go with Him. And there will be risks, dangers, and yes, suffering. That's when the choice comes to us; will we go anyway?

Someone said that in order to go anywhere you have to leave someplace. And almost always, we can't take our "stuff" with us. Those who travel with Jesus travel light, and the journey will always take us well beyond our comfort zones. Our spiritual ancestors named above all lived lives that mattered. They dropped all that would weigh them down, hold them back, and they picked up His cross....and followed Him. If our lives are to really matter in eternity, we have to do likewise.

Scripture tells us that He's the God of all comfort but this is something different than having comfort as God. Too many of us have chosen the latter. Beth Moore said that when we choose comfort as god we cut ourselves off from the God of all comfort. Those who were the heroes of faith spoken of in the Bible lived in decidedly uncomfortable and dangerous places. Deserts, wildernesses, caves. Yet in these places they experienced an intimacy with God they would never have known in comfortable places. We read of these men and women in the Bible and want to live such lives of adventure and wonder as well, but then we realize the potential cost...and too often, we shrink back. Jesus said His disciples out with nothing, calling on them to depend upon God for all they needed. Great crowds followed Jesus....until He asked such of them. The majority melted away. Do we melt away as well with such a call to go with Him?

We may dream dreams, but we'll never realize them from our spiritual recliners. We want to go with Him, but we're too attached to where we are....and all our stuff. We'd like to launch out into the deep with Him, but we can't figure a way to take all of it with us, and the fact that He wouldn't allow us to anyway settles the matter for us. 

Where has He called you and to go? Is it into a place that looks hopeless? A ministry that offers nothing but His Presence? Is it to do the impossible? Frightening indeed. Yet He promises to go with us. Is that enough for us? Or do the chains of our stuff and our comfort bind us too tightly?

Blessings,
Pastor O