Dream 529 – A Brief Lesson from Jesus on following Him
Received on Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Communion
Dear Father,
Thank You for another day here! Thank You for Your love and protection. I find myself spending a lot of time with You ‘in the quiet’. I communicate less than I am used to with others because I don’t want to miss any teachable moments from You. Our children have noticed that my prayers are more authoritative and less flowery now.
I find myself not wasting words. I am becoming more and more comfortable meeting with You in my devotional chair, but now really wherever I am. I recently read some Scriptures that left me with some questions for You. Here is the overview of the two scenarios I had some questions on…
The First Man from Mark 10:21: A wealthy man comes to Jesus and asks how he should follow Him. Jesus’ response was that he needed to sell everything and follow Him.
The Second Man from Luke 9:61-62: A man comes to Jesus and wants to follow Him, but first wants to say goodbye to his family. Jesus then replies ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.’
Me: “Oh Lord, how many people would be like the First Man and not want to give up their wealth? Should they not be able to still provide for their family? What about the Second Man? In 1 Kings 19:20, was Elisha not able to first say goodbye to his family? Why was Elisha able to do this but not the Second Man?”
Jesus: “Erin, come up!”
He once again spoke to me while I sat in my devotional chair. His Voice was very clear.
Jesus: “Erin, it is about the heart of the follower. You have only to recognize this by My line of questioning. The First Man, the wealthy man, enthusiastically and with an upright desire of his heart, sought to follow Me. I then replied by asking him to make a declaration. However, did I not already know his answer before he responded? Of course I did.
“Now, this wealthy man followed the Commandments and obeyed the Laws. By doing so, he qualified himself as ‘a man of works’. I already knew that he loved his material possessions more than Me. This man had a divided heart. As you can understand from the account, it wasn’t all about the desire to follow Me. Instead, it is about forsaking that which competes for Me and removing it so that you are then free to follow Me.
“This doesn’t mean I am calling on all to sell everything so you can follow Me. It means that you are not to put your trust in things that will one day be no more. You are instead to invest your time and resources in that which has eternal consequences. You are to store up your treasures in Heaven, not here. It is about the heart.
“Now, when your heart stopped beating and I met you there and you returned, what then happened?”
Me: “Something was very different. I was no longer afraid of death. Things that once mattered to me now paled in comparison to what You offer. My family also mattered more. Material items now diminished in importance to me.
“Now, what about the Second Man? Why allow Elisha to say goodbye to his family, yet demand the Second Man to not look back?”
Jesus: “Again, look at the heart. Elisha did not desire to go back and put his hands to the plow. He was instead excited and asked to kiss his parents. He first left his oxen. He didn’t go back to kiss his oxen or finish his work. He had twelve oxen. He sacrificed all twelve and fed the people. He then arose and pursued Elijah. As for the Second Man, there is more to this.
“The Second Man was a slave to work. While the First Man loved his material possessions, the Second Man loved his work and felt obligated to his parents. I knew that the Second Man would go back to his parents to explain his plan. I also knew that the parents of the Second Man would protest and he would change his mind. In comparison, Elisha burned up his plow to cook the meat to feed the people.
“Erin, there are differences. Again, it is a heart issue. I search the heart. It is easy for many to think the worst about Me. It is easy for many to think that I am ‘The Punisher’. I know every man and woman and their heart conditions. The true intent of a man is in his heart. From his heart comes actions. This birthed the common phrase ‘I do not want words, I want actions.’
“Well, this can be wrong thinking. Many foolish actions follow foolish words. Now let’s look at an example of a man with a heart of gold. This man desires to do so much for so many, but he is unable to due to confinement or disability. He also may be unable due to lack of abilities or resources. However, the intention in his heart is still good. I read this man’s heart and I know what he would be capable of.
“Now, do not take Me wrong here. A man should follow through on a contract, promise or declaration with good intent. This is upright and good. His actions that follow his words will therefore be good. However, this is again because it comes from the heart with good intentions.”
Me: “Lord, there are times when my heart’s desire is to do good, but I then fail to follow through. This happens more times than I would want to. I then become tired. Lord, why do I do this?”
Jesus: “The key is that you are to rest when you become tired. Take each new day as it comes. Be careful not to bind yourself with promises you may not be able to keep. Only God can guarantee His promises. Remember that people can be placed in chains by an unbridled tongue. It is better to remain quiet than to declare a foolish thing. It is wise to avoid making a promise for tomorrow when you are still coping with today.”
Me: “Lord, thank You for this wisdom!”
Jesus: “I love you.”
Me: “I love you too.”
Dream over…
Previous Dream: http://sparrowcloud9.com/heaven-dreams-interpretations/the-tribulation/excerpt-from-dreams-questions-answered/full-dreams/dream-528/
Copyright© 2012-2030 SparrowCloud9; Erin Aleshire (All rights reserved, copies only allowed as per written permission)