Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."
Observation
There is an urgency in these scriptures as Jesus tells those who would follow, to follow NOW! There is no time to waist. I look at what these two specific followers are asking to do, one to bury a family member and the second to say goodbye at home, and the request seems reasonable to me. So why would Jesus say no? I think its because He knows our heart. There will always be something, some excuse we can make to put in front of following God. To us they sound like good things, but they become the worst of all things when we put them ahead of submitting to God's plan. We can't spend our whole lives putting everything else ahead of God and expect to know God and be known by Him. The only way is to follow Him.
Application
My thoughts rationalize my actions all the time. Here is one I use a lot "I work so hard, I pour out so much, I don't feel like ministering to people today". It makes me sad to think that I rationalize obedience to Christ by my performance. But Christ wants all in Christians, He spits out the lukewarm (revelation 3:16). And honestly, I want to be that all in Christian. One of the things I've been trying to do for the last three months is think about what I'm thinking about. Sounds confusing I know, but I don't want to be like the scribes in Mark 2:6 who were reasoning in their hearts. I want to be honest with myself and my motives. Jesus is pointing out the truth to these followers and to me, saying, "don't make excuses or put this off, there is none you can make that can justify not wholly surrendering to me."
Prayer
Jesus, I will follow You. No turning back, no excuses. If I try Lord, convict me quickly, please do not let me fall into the trap of rationalization.
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