Occupation with Christ

What we want is occupation of heart with Christ. If we have a bad temper and go on praying about it and mourning over it we will never overcome it. But if we are occupied with Christ, do you think our temper will rise while He is before us? It is the only way to get the victory.
We get an exposure of man's nature in the 57th verse. One whom the Lord had not called offers to follow Him. "It is an easy thing to follow Jesus—anyone can do it," he thinks But the Lord tells him that he had not counted the cost. "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.”
Next we find one whom the Lord had called finding a difficulty in following, and making excuses for delay. It was the effectual call of grace here. But he was not up to the mark. He found, as we often do, difficulties and hindrances in the way when the call came. The Lord's reply is, "Let the dead [dead to God] bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”
There is a reference to Elisha in the last verses. Do you remember that one day when he was plowing, Elijah cast his mantle over Elisha? Elisha said, "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee." The real call had come but Elisha was not up to the height of the call just then. Elijah answered, "What have I done to thee?" And Elisha returned and after slaying the yoke of oxen, he arose and went after Elijah.
Let us consider well then these things in this 9th chapter of Luke: the rejection of Jesus as the Christ, the change in everything that characterizes the rest of the book, the Lord showing the path of those who would follow Him, the end of this path, the Lord giving His followers to cheer, rebuke, and comfort His people. It exposes us to ourselves by using Christ as our standard.
Words of Truth