Luke 9:57-62 Foxes Have Holes
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: August 21, 2018 Luke 9:57-62
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
(Understanding the Text) Jesus reacted differently to different people. The one who confidently proclaimed that he would follow Jesus wherever He went was cautioned that following Jesus meant no home or comfort. Sometimes, we act like if someone commits themselves to Christ, there is no cost, but in this we are not following Jesus’ example. There is a cost to committing yourself to Jesus. He asks for every inch of you, not just one part. He may lead you on paths you never knew existed or never expected yourself to take. Jesus was truthful in telling His followers that there was the price of total commitment.
The ones who delayed following were informed that they must commit themselves totally to the cause of Christ. Jesus knew that time was short and that there was no time to delay a commitment. Guzik’s commentary says, “In plowing a field in that day, a farmer kept the rows straight by focusing on an object in front of them, off in the distance (such as a tree). If the farmer started to plow, and kept looking behind, he would never make straight rows and do a good job plowing. In our Christian life, we keep our eyes on Jesus in front of us, and never take our eyes off Him.”
(Revelation of God) Luke 10:1-12 provides context for the last verses of Luke 9. Jesus is picking and choosing among His followers for 72 disciples to send out on assignment. When He was saying follow me to the people, it was not a random statement. It was a call to do a service. Jesus needed the service right now, so the two that wanted to delay were not being arbitrarily criticized. They knew that Jesus was asking for a service that was needed immediately. They knew that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for a purpose and that He was asking them to assist Him in that purpose. It was not unreasonable for Jesus to expect their immediate compliance in the situation. For the one that declared that he would follow wherever Jesus lead, Jesus was not criticizing. He was just making sure that the man understood what he was committing to.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I must choose to follow Jesus now, everyday. I cannot separate Him from my everyday life. I cannot put home or security or family or worldly obligations before Jesus. Jesus is not calling me to live outside of the world, but rather to make Him my highest priority as I live in the world. I have the desire to follow You, but then I get hurt or become discouraged and lose my enthusiasm. Always keep me close to You. Heal me, and show me the joy of service.