Today's Devotional
February 6, 2007
Subject: The Danger Of Following At A Distance
Luke 9:61 - "And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house."
One day while driving the streets of Baghdad, our two-vehicle convoy was cut off by a mini-bus which swiped across the front of our vehicle and came to a halt. The immediate reaction from our crew was to react to what we thought was danger. The driver of the vehicle that swiped us stopped and hopped out only to face an MP-5 automatic weapon staring him in the face. At gunpoint we forced him to get back into his vehicle while we watched for accompanying "bad guys."
We knew we were in a high-threat area while in Baghdad and we knew the danger while driving of being separated and left to fend for ourselves. That's why as believers we should take that same principle into our walk with Jesus.
The problem with many believers is not that they don't want to follow Jesus, it's that they want to follow Him at a distance. That's kind of like the fellow in the passage above. He wanted to follow, "but..." When that happens, it's quite simple for the enemy to get in between us as we attempt to follow where Christ is leading. Seems like we always need that danger episode to remind us not to let any other "vehicles" come in between us and the "lead vehicle."
Today we can escape the danger or at least have maximum protection if we stay close enough to Christ. We should endeavor not to simply follow Him, but to follow Him closely. The streets of this life are too dangerous to follow at a distance.
