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											2022-12-04 10:34:24 -05:00
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							|  |  |  |  | title = "Luke 9:57–62" | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | date = "2022-12-04" | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  |  | ### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lk9.57-62)
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											2022-12-30 12:09:37 -05:00
										 |  |  |  | While we have seen that the disciples were imperfect people, these verses show | 
					
						
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											2022-12-04 10:34:24 -05:00
										 |  |  |  | us that not just anyone will be willing to pay the true cost of following | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | Jesus. The first man sounds like he'll be loyal, but Jesus says that the road | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | will not be full of material comforts, or even that there will be deprivation | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | because of following Him. The second man asks to fulfill a familial | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | responsibility, but Jesus says it's not as important as proclaiming the kingdom | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | of God, which would be extremely shocking in that culture. The third only asks | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | to go say farewell to his family, but Jesus…does not actually say that | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | he can't. What He does say is that he can't be concerned and worried for those | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | he left behind when there is important work in front of him. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  |  | The common thread in these three situations is that God wants complete devotion | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | from us. We can't be partially concerned with His will and His kingdom and | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | partially concerned with ourselves. We can't even be concerned for our own | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | family except as that concern is subordinate to advancing God's kingdom. (And | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | we should definitely be trying to build God's kingdom within our own families. | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | God promises to take care of our needs, both material and spiritual, temporal | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | and eternal. This frees us up to do the work that He has prepared for us to do. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  |  | * * * | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  |  | Give us eternal perspectives, O Lord, so that our priorities line up with | 
					
						
							|  |  |  |  | Yours. |