SCRIPTURE:
'and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. '
Luke 9:2-3
OBSERVATION:
Jesus’ commands are pretty clear. “Take nothing.” He knew that only a complete faith and reliance on Him would result in the power and authority He blessed them with to truly activate.
One of my chores my grandpa had me do was to weed the garden. He would always say “you gotta pull out the root of the weed in order for the weed to be gone”. Likewise, the only way to fully move forward or overcome an opposition or challenge is to leave it behind, get rid of it completely.
By letting Jesus have it all, the 12 would go on to change and transform the world through the power and authority placed upon them.
APPLICATION:
If I’m to continue in forward movement in my pursuit of Jesus and Christlikeness I cannot take anything with me. I need to proclaim day after day that “Jesus, You can have it all.” I need to be sure everything not of God is clear and gone away; removed, never to be seen or heard of again. Even if in the moment I feel I need this and I’m fine and focused, even the littlest of “scar tissue” can come back to torment me, or as the Word says, “become a prick in my eye or thorn on my side.”
PRAYER:
Jesus help! May I have the conviction and commitment to give it all away in order to receive it all. Amen
