“And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”–Luke 9:57–58
Each year the Oxford English Dictionary selects a Word of the Year as a way of recognizing a new word that has entered the language and made an impact. In a rare decision, 2013 saw the unanimous selection of “selfie” as the Word of the Year. The ubiquitous smart phones with their cameras have sparked a craze of self-portraits. The Oxford English Dictionary publishers released a statement saying, “It seems everyone has posted a selfie somewhere on the Internet.” There are few more apt metaphors for our society—including within much of the church—than our obsession with placing ourselves in the center of the picture.
The example of Jesus is very different. While He deserves all the glory of the universe, He willingly gave up not just immeasurable riches but even basic comforts and necessities to follow the will of His Father in Heaven. How tightly we cling to our rights and privileges, and how unfair we think it is when things don’t go exactly as we think they should! Our response to disruption in our plans and schedules says so much about who is in charge of our lives.
Henry Drummond said, “The entrance fee into the kingdom of heaven is nothing: the annual subscription is everything.” Those who would follow Jesus must first count the cost and determine if they are willing to pay the price of selfless living. The footsteps of Jesus will not lead us to a path of ease. And if we are focused on what makes us happy and comfortable, we will find His path too hard to keep walking.–Daily in the Word
