This weekend’s Gospel passage appears to have many messages for us. In the first paragraph we hear that Jesus is not really welcome in a village. This might be a message about HOSPITALITY? In the second paragraph of the Gospel passage, Jesus responds to a person who gives indication that he wants to follow Him. In essence, Jesus says, “You want to follow me? OK, then be prepared to call no place home except where I am.” Hmmmm…kind of a strange answer here from Jesus, but remember what He just experienced about not being welcome! Perhaps the point here is that if we truly want to be a disciple of Jesus, then we need to be prepared to make Jesus our top priority and be willing to not allow any “baggage” to tie us down to one place, one way of doing things, one attitude toward life and people, one pathway of life that is “comfortable” to us. In the last paragraph of the Gospel, more people say that they want to follow Jesus BUT they delay their commitment saying that they have to “take care of business” first. Jesus warns them all to make a decision NOW…is it HIM they really want to follow OR is it really all the other trappings of life? The response of Jesus to the “would-be followers” really lays out the wholehearted constancy and commitment that the Christian commitment requires. We may be surprised at Jesus’ sharp response to the first man’s inquiry into discipleship. Undoubtedly, Jesus saw more deeply into the man’s heart than we can. Jesus is simply honest about the demands and the cost of a commitment we might make too lightly and a journey we might undertake too easily. We have so often said in this column that discipleship is no “walk in the park.” We need to take that first step of commitment, but it can’t be a “commitment” that says, “I’m kind of committing now, but when I get older…when I’m not so busy…when I feel a bit stronger…when I feel moved to it, I will REALLY give my life over to Jesus, my Savior. No, no, no! Each of us is only promised today. Today is a gift…that’s why we call it “The Present.” NOW is the time to take the step! We too, like these people in the Gospel, are asked to follow Jesus, totally and immediately, without any reservation, by giving priority to him and to His mission of love. We are called NOW to surrender our lives to Jesus. This TRUE and AUTHENTIC commitment will show itself on a daily basis in humble and dedicated service to others. Take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you’re ready to take this step. Jesus is waiting! Here is a story about commitment. In 1904, William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy estate, graduated from a Chicago high school as a millionaire. His parents gave him a trip around the world. Traveling through Asia and the Middle East, Borden was given by God a burden for the world's suffering people. Writing home, he said, "I'm going to give my life to prepare for the mission field." When he made that decision, he wrote in the back of his Bible two words: "No reserves." After graduating from Yale, he turned down numerous high-paying jobs and headed to the seminary. At that time he entered two more words in his Bible: "No retreats." After completing studies at Princeton Seminary, Borden sailed for China. On the way he stopped in Egypt for some additional training. While there he was stricken with cerebral meningitis and died within a month. Perhaps you are thinking: what a waste! William Borden didn't think so. Shortly before he died he entered two more words in his Bible. Now the statement read: "No reserves, no retreats, no regrets." Success for a Christian is to be able to say at the end of the line, "I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; and I have kept the faith." GOSPEL QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How strong is the commitment you have made to Jesus…any reservations?