Today's Passage - Matthew 8:18-22

Matthew 8:18-22   When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.  Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."  Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."  Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."  But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."   Many people want to follow the Lord, just like those who went to the Jesus when He was on earth.  They followed Him no matter where He went.  The response from Jesus, however, seemed rather cold; He reminded everyone who wanted to follow Him to think about the purpose of following Him.  Prior to the time of this passage, Jesus was a great healer who healed many who are sick, and people were envious of such gift of healing.  Also, many wanted to follow Him because they were healed and filled with joy.   They all followed Jesus because they wanted something from Him.  After the Lord performed the miracle of five loaves and two fish, many wanted to make Him the king.  They might not really understand that Jesus is the king of kings and lord of lords, but they just wanted to be fed when they were hungry.  What's our motivation for following the Lord?  Is it for our diseases to be healed, or to have a bright future?   The Lord reminds us here that "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."  If we are following the Lord for rewards, then we're in for a big disappointment!  The way of the Lord is the way of cross; if we don't understand what way of the cross means, one day we won't be able to keep on following Him.  Some disciple said "Lord, first let me go and bury my father," which from human perspective is completely reasonable, but Jesus said "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  In other word, don't let anything hinder you from following the Lord.  It doesn't mean that the Lord doesn't want us to respect and remember our family; He's just saying that we must be determined to follow Him.  There will always be circumstances that slow us down and excuses that hinder us, and some day we won't be able to follow Him anymore.   Are you willing to follow the Lord?  If there are many hindrances in your life, are you willing to lay them down and simply follow Him?  The Lord is faithful, and He will provide for you according to His abundant riches!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you for reminding us about the price we must pay to follow you, as it is the way of the cross.  Let us understand that we need to make you the top priority of our life, and be determined to solely follow you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!        Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!