J.A. Matteson
Too often we confuse what Jesus is implying by infusing personal bias into His invitation. "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go" (Matt. 8:19). We must go out in our mind, out in our will first, otherwise our physical change in location is a ruse and of no value to the King and His kingdom. It is not our geographical position Jesus aims to alter, but the pliability of our will to obey Him in the subtle areas of disobedience. Physically moving from here to there is easy and does not further our sanctification. Unless I am willing to obey Him from the heart my trekking about over land and sea is a sham. Discipleship takes place not in the physical dimension in what I do or where I go for Christ--as though He is dependent on me for anything--but in the spiritual dimension through what I become by the grace of God. Christian discipleship is foremost an odyssey of the mind, whereby daily dying to self I pick up my cross of self-denial, aligning my will to His in the most trivial and menial tasks, often going unrecognized and frequently unappreciated by those around me. We often in great anticipation eagerly wait for the Lord to invite us to what we perceive to be a grand assignment, all the while holding a grudge against our neighbor, cheating on our taxes, listening to or viewing worldly amusements that wage war against the soul, lusting after beautiful people, but we are very happy because we will jump on an airplane in a moments notice to follow Jesus wherever He leads. That is a pseudo discipleship, the devils trick. Christian discipleship is exacting, transforming from within thoughts, attitudes, values, hope. Daily confronting the word of God we are confronted by it, the Lord of Hosts reveals our heart, presenting two distinct paths in response to it, obedience or disobedience. And He graciously knows which sins we are holding on to tightly, it is here, in the quietness of a moment with Him we must either lay it at the cross, or hold onto it while vowing to follow Him wherever He goes. Immediately after Saul of Tarsus was confronted by the risen Christ he went into personal exile. It was only after surrendering his will to Jesus, undergoing a deep cleansing spiritual transformation, that he later followed Jesus wherever He led; the inward precedes the outward. Blessed is the pilgrim who discovers that his most extensive Christian adventures often take place within the confines of his own person as he encounters, surrenders, and joyfully obeys all that the Lord graciously reveals to him and works in him. That servant is useful to his Master, to follow Him wherever He leads.
Copyright © 2014 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).