Luke 22:35-37
Then Jesus asked them, “When I
sent you out to preach the Good News and you were without money, duffle
bag, or extra clothing, how did you get along?”
“Fine,” they replied.
“But
now,” he said, “take a duffle bag if you have one and your money. And
if you don’t have a sword, better sell your clothes and buy one! For the
time has come for this prophecy about me to come true: ‘He will be
condemned as a criminal!’ Yes, everything written about me by the
prophets will come true.”
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
A couple of Sundays ago, my
friend Valerie and I taught 2nd-3rd grade Sunday school together. We
both had tan tote bags that looked very similar…and we both remarked
that we had each thought the other one’s purse was ours. Valerie showed
me how heavy her purse was…and I laughed, because mine was equally
heavy. It seems that we women try to carry the world in our purses…and
if there are small children involved, this is absolutely a necessity!
Once
in a while, Greg and I will go somewhere that I do not carry a purse.
Sometimes, I will slip a couple of things in the car…and I usually have a
pocket for my phone. But in general, the days of “traveling light”
pretty well disappeared for me years ago. Just as surely as I don’t
carry my purse, the children or I will need something – tissues or a
handkerchief…eyeglass cleaner…cream for some sort of bite, itch or
“boo-boo”…hand sanitizer…a pen…my extra set of keys or my wallet…the
kids’ sunglasses…and so much more. To go without these things might not
amount to a matter of life or death, but I would rather be prepared than
caught off guard!
How does this apply to our daily living as a
Christian? Jesus is telling us that we can’t just wander through life
and expect God to take care of everything for us. We can’t let our feet
hit the floor in the morning without our “duffel bag” by our side,
filled with the word of God (our sword), the presence of the Holy Spirit
(our currency), confidence and faith in our mission (extra clothing),
and direct communication with our Heavenly Father to assure that we are
on the right track! We have no clue what we will need in any given
minute, so we’d better be prepared for anything!
The battle is
real. The stakes are high. The days of venturing out into the world with
just the clothes on our back are gone. The devil’s enemies are waiting
and watching, and they will pick out those who are not prepared and
attack them with a vengeance. Many will never even see the “hit”
coming. Do not be among them!
Your “duffel bag” may seem so
heavy and cumbersome at times…and totally unnecessary at others. But I
assure you, it is worth the weight. There will be days when you want to
ask, “Why can’t I just ‘be’ today?” And the short answer is…”What if
Jesus had said this on the cross?” Our “burden” pales in comparison to
that of our Jesus. So pack your duffel bag and prepare for the
journey ahead. There is work to be done - and we don’t have a minute to
waste!
©2016 Debbie Robus
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