"Take nothing for the journey..."

Dear friends and brothers and sisters in Christ, I’m sure that you are rejoicing that it’s Friday and a weekend of peace and rest (?) is at hand. Thank God for this week that He has seen us through.

In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus sent out the twelve disciples for their first “missions” journey. Their mission was “simple”: preach about the kingdom of God and minister healing to the sick. Of course, there is nothing simple about that. And Jesus’ instructions were: “Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.”[1] Luke 9:6 tells of the disciples’ obedience to Jesus’ commands to take nothing and to fulfill his mission. I’m sure that in the back of their minds the disciples must have been wondering what they would eat and what money they would use to survive.

In much the same way as the disciples, Jesus has set us on a journey; a life time journey of discipleship in which our hearts and minds are being shaped and formed through the Holy Spirit. And just as Jesus told his disciples that they needed to leave some stuff behind, he asks us to leave some “stuff” behind. What is that “stuff”?

I’m reminded of the verse that says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”[2] I like the way the New Living Translation words the phrase, “let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.”[3]

That “stuff” is whatever hinders or slows down our progress in the journey of becoming more like Christ. That “stuff” can be easily traced to the “sin that so easily entangles” us. To many, sin entangles their hearts and minds in such a way that they are blinded to God’s good purpose for their lives. However, that “stuff” can become every day activities that pull us away from doing God’s good will.

God’s good and perfect will is for us to be whole in all that we are and do. Our relationship with God and those we love make us whole; our love and service to God and one another make us whole.

Is there any “stuff” that is hindering or slowing down that progress in your journey? If so, Jesus invites us as he did to his disciples, to leave it behind and fix our eyes on our journey with him.

Prayer: Help me today, my Lord, to discover your good, perfect, and acceptable will and to focus all of my desire and energy upon doing it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.[4]

Have a great and blessed weekend!

By grace alone,

Pastor David

[1] Luke 9:3 (NIV)
[2] Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)
[3] Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)
[4] From A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People, The Upper Room.