Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me be worthy of following you…

Matthew 10:7-42
 
Am I up to working with the Lord Jesus Christ?  It requires tremendous commitment and focus, not to mention courage and fasting!  The great paradox is that following Jesus is not for the faint of heart: like Jesus, I am designed to let the power of the Holy Spirit of God flow through me, but, again like Jesus, I need to maintain a hearty level of spiritual exercise through prayer and meditation in order to maintain the level of spiritual fitness required; But when I am faint of heart, it is then that I am most often ‘worthy’ to follow Him – because, like Him, fixed to the Cross as he was, it is then that I become transfixed with the transcendent power of the Living God, beyond all my fears, griefs and unrighteous indignation. The readings from the 10th chapter of Matthew are lessons in being ‘worthy’ of being a follower of Jesus, engaged in his holy work of proclaiming the Gospel and healing.  Matthew 10:7-15 lays out the mighty tasks we are given, as followers of the Lord: cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. God only knows the intensity and desperate need for this kind of constant activity! He also instructs his disciples to have no baggage, no extra clothing and no other ‘necessities’; to have only trust in the flow of God’s grace for provision of all needs. In Matt 10:16-33, Jesus gives his 12 some stiff advice:  Have no fear of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Yes, we like Christ Jesus, need to be prepared to be ‘dissed’ and even persecuted. We simply need to be unafraid!  Matthew 10:34-42 points out that being a follower of Jesus will not necessarily smooth out family and other relationships in life, but may even cause contention and stressfully difficult strife within families; as followers of Jesus, one must be ready to meet, and live beyond, all human relational ties and tangles. Such collaboration with Jesus, requires soul muscles with strength, agility and flexibility- and great spiritual courage. Am I ‘up to’ truly following the Lord Jesus Christ?  Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me be worthy of following You.
 
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.  (Psalm 105:4)
 
It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability that counts.
Corrie Ten Boom
 
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