It is one thing to be a disciple of Christ in the crowd and another thing to be one who follows Jesus when and where He commands us to go.

In Matthew chapter 18, on seeing the large crowd gather around Him, the Lord decided to depart to the other side of the lake, commanding His disciples to do so.  This action drew out statements from some “disciples” in the crowd.  First a “teacher” proclaimed he would “follow Jesus wherever he would go” to which Jesus responded with a teaching of his own, simultaneously speaking of earthy and spiritual truths related to the cost involved.  Even if he started to follow Jesus, would he remain when he encountered the hardships?  Was Jesus truly the Master of this teacher?  Secondly, another disciple pleaded to “first go and bury his father” before following the one he called Lord, to which Jesus responded with a correction to put His love and command first.  If he went and buried his father, would he have ever returned when he encountered other family demands?   Was Jesus truly the Lord of this disciple?

The truth is, it would be wiser not to make vows to the Lord that we do not know if we will be able or willing to keep them, but instead quietly and prayerfully count the costs, so that any “yes” we do speak might also become a “yes” in action.  But better that we say nothing at all, so our “yes” won’t be a “no” because we don’t really know if we will go until we actually do so.   And then, if we do so, we can speak of the reliable promises of God!

So, don’t just be another one in the crowd!  Yearn and learn to become a true follower of Christ Jesus!  All God’s promises in Christ are “Yes” and “Amen”!