Luke 9:59-61 (Focus verse 59)
He (Jesus) said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
“The call of the Master will inevitably reveal where our first loyalties lie.” I will never forget the scene of my Aunt Velma saying goodbye to her youngest son, Gary, as she and Uncle Jim packed the last suitcase into the car to leave for India. Gary was in high school and had a broken arm. He would join them later when he finished classes. Paul and I were in Bible college and had met them in the parking lot for a final prayer. That is when God pressed into my heart the reality of the sacrifices in ministry. (Gary ended up becoming a professor at a Theological Seminary). Has the Lord ever given you an assignment that involved difficult choices and you put Him on hold? “First let me…” My first mission trip to Romania required that I leave my two elementary age children at home with my husband for two weeks. I cringed at the thought of leaving them to travel so far away; but I knew God was calling me. That trip opened later opportunities to return and provide women’s conferences—the first in that country after the fall of communism. When God calls can we trust Him to work out the details? Don’t put Him on hold (Luke 9:62).