Feeling a little over-extended?

Regardless of what side of the political isle you find yourself on, I think we’d all agree our government is grossly financially over-extended.

So are many countries. And states. And businesses. And organizations. And families.

Not only do we find ourselves over-extended financially, we tend to over-extend our time commitments, sometimes our talent, and even our goals.

People today feel stretched as thin as paper.

Except spiritually.

Do you really know anyone who is over-extended spiritually?

Someone who has over-extended on faith? On scripture? On prayer? On service? On loving? On giving? On serving? On sharing? On discipling? On being discipled?

Do you know anyone who is over-extended on living like Jesus?

We sometimes may think we are, but more often than not, we over-extend ourselves in most other aspects of life and use our being over-extended elsewhere as our excuse for not extending ourselves spiritually.

Here’s how Jesus responded to that issue in Luke 9:57-62:

“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’ He said to another man, ‘Follow me.’ But he replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.’ Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God,'”

Answering Jesus’ simple call to follow Him isn’t about scaling back our over-extended lives so we can squeeze Him in somewhere. Rather, it’s about fully extending ourselves to Him first, regardless of all the other demands in our lives.

To the person feeling so burdened because they are so over-extended, that sounds unreasonable. Surely Jesus wouldn’t ask so much!

Verse 60, “… Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

He also says, “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:28-34).

And Jesus adds, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

It’s only when Christ has His rightful place in our lives that we can accurately value and order all the other things that make up our lives.

But first, we have to fully extend our whole lives to Him.

Scotty