When Jesus Says No

Scripture: I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose. Luke 4:43

Observation: After healing all who came to him, Jesus gets away to a desolated place. But the crowds follow him, begging him to stay in their town. They are looking for Jesus to be their full time caretaker and personal physician. But Jesus refuses this request. He *must* leave for he has been sent with a purpose. A purpose much bigger than healing the hurting. He has come to preach the good news.

Application: Sometimes I forget Jesus’ purpose in my life. I come to him to heal, to fix, to change things, to improve my life. None of these are necessarily wrong requests, but if they do not line up with his purpose, they may get denied. Jesus is not here for my needs, he is here to do the Father’s will. This could make him unpopular, but he *must* be about his father’s business. Even if this means he says no to legitimate needs.
As I continue to explore the new role I have as pastor of this church, I find that people come to me with all kinds of needs. I have to prayerfully consider these, but ultimately, I have to weigh all needs against the purpose for which I was sent, the mission of God among his people. What may be hard news to swallow (and harder to deliver) is the answer, “No, I must do this instead.”

Prayer: God, give me discernment to know your purpose in any opportunity that comes my way. And give me courage to stick to your truth even at the risk of being unpopular or seen as unspiritual. And give me the love to be able to share truth.