NO BAGGAGE, NO DISTRACTIONS

Dear Reader,

I hope that today’s post teaches you the very important lesson of faith, trust and total dependence on God’s provision for His work.

Luke 9:3 – “Then He said to them, “Take nothing along for the trip. Do not take a walking stick or a bag or bread or money. Do not take two coats.”

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In this story, Jesus is sending His 12 disciples to go to the mission field to preach the Gospel. The irony though, is that He knew that He was sending them to unknown places but gave them very weird instructions! He tells them not to carry money, a bag, or food. He tells them not to even take extra clothes! In my head, I’m like, what is that? How can a person embark on a trip, especially an unknown on without such things? How would such a person take care of themselves? But Jesus still gave such an instruction. Looking deeply at this verse, I can see 2 reasons why Jesus gave such instructions:

First off, He wanted to teach them to trust that He will take care of them. Sometimes, God wants me to do a task for Him and I may not have the resources, but I go ahead in faith because I am sure that He will take care of me. God will never give me a task without equipping me properly. He will also never leave me stranded. He is teaching me to SOLELY depend on His provision.

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Secondly, baggage slows me down. The disciples were traveling by foot and so, carrying all these thigs would have been a burden which could have made their journey slower and maybe serve as a distraction or hindrance. God is teaching me that there are things that He will require me to set aside if I am to journey with and for Him; if I am to do ministry for Him. This could mean dropping some friendships, depriving myself of certain pleasures, and making some tough decisions. This goes ahead to remind me of the verse in Hebrews 12:1 that says, “…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.”

Christianity is a race and in order to run this race well, I must travel light. NO BAGGAGE, NO DISTRACTIONS. I must remain conscious of this.

“Father, strip me of every thing that will slow me down in this race of life. Show me what I need to drop, so I can effectively do work for You. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

#selah

In Christ,

Shanpepe

Tarry Longer...

Dear Reader,

Some days back, as I reminisced on the story of the aftermath of Jesus’s death and resurrection during my quiet time, I came across the story of the men from Emmaus and the Holy Spirit gave me new insight on the matter of tarrying longer in the presence of my Savior. I hope you are blessed by this.

Luke 24:28-31 – “By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus would have gone on, but they begged him to stay the night with them, since it was getting late. So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took a small loaf of bread, asked God’s blessing on it, broke it, then gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared.”

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This is the story of the aftermath of Jesus’ resurrection, and the experience of the men travelling to Emmaus. When Jesus joined them on their trip, they did not know that it was the risen Jesus that walked and talked with them. However, upon reaching the end of their journey, instead of parting ways with this man, they urged him to stay the night with them. It was during that overnight “staying” or “sleepover” as we would put it in modern terms, that Jesus revealed Himself to them.

A question then tugs at my spirit. It is this: “Do I desire to tarry longer with my Jesus?” It is only when I tarry longer in the presence of my Lord that He reveals Himself to me and opens my eyes to see beyond the physical. It is easy and usual to desire a greater revelation of Jesus Christ, but this cannot happen when I do not spend time with Him. Jesus Christ will not reveal Himself to a person He does not know. And how do we get to know more about someone? When we spend time with them. If the 2 men from Emmaus did not ask Jesus to spend the night, they would have missed the opportunity to see the Risen King! But they “begged him to stay the night with them” and He revealed Himself to them.

Sometimes, I feel I am not seeing God, hearing Him, or experiencing Him. I must check the time I spend with Him. Is it lesser and lesser or more and more? I must also prepare my heart for surprising visits and revelations of the Lord to me in new and unconventional ways. In this story, Jesus reveals Himself at the dinner table. He can choose to reveal Himself to me through a song, a movie, a book, an experience, an unbeliever or as I am cooking in the kitchen! That is why my communion with Him must be a continual one.

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Dear Lord,

I BEG for a revelation of Yourself to me. Please tarry with me. I want to see You, hear from You, and know You.

#selah

In Christ,

Shanpepe