Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR: Discover why waiting to follow Jesus until after you “bury your father” (get your inheritance, make it big, have enough) means you’ll never develop the be-do-have habits that actually create the life you want.
What?
What is it that’s getting in your way? What is it that’s slowing you down? We finally got our Christmas tree up, and we usually get it up at Thanksgiving time. The earlier, the better, and we like to leave it up a long time as well.
I had some clarity for myself reading Matthew this morning. Matthew 8 verses 21-22: “Another of his disciples said to him, Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, follow me and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
I always struggled with that because I’m like “Really? Jesus is like don’t go and do a funeral for your father?” But that phrase “bury my father” in the Jewish tradition, the Jewish history, is really talking about “Let me get my inheritance, let me get my big bucks, let me wait till I got my inheritance from my father first, and then I’ll come and follow you.” I was like “Oh, well that makes a lot more sense to me and helps me process it.” The study Bible notes are really a useful tool for that.
But the question I started with today is what is getting in your way? Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi and all those famous dudes talk about if you don’t give now when you haven’t made it, you’re not in the practice. You’re not in the habit. You’re not in the mentality to give when you have made it.
So what’s getting in your way? Where’s the faith line? What are you worrying about? What’s causing you stress and anxiety that you aren’t being who you wanna be?
That brings to mind Zig Ziglar. He has a phrase that says “be, do, have.” Be who you wanna be first. Be that Christian man, husband, father, and leader first. Do the things that a Christian man, husband, father, and leader would do, and then have the fruits that come from that. Receive the fruits, receive the blessings, receive the rewards and that peace from being obedient, from following, and from being who you want to be now instead of later.
Why?
I share this because Kingdom Family Leaders are waiting. Waiting to give until we have more. Waiting to lead until we feel ready. Waiting to follow Jesus fully until after we “bury our father” – get the inheritance, make it big, have enough security.
That disciple wasn’t asking to attend a funeral. He was asking to wait until his father died and he got his inheritance before following Jesus. “Let me get my big bucks first, then I’ll come.” Jesus said “Follow me now. Let the dead bury their own dead.”
If you don’t give now when you haven’t made it, you won’t give when you have made it. The practice, the habit, the mentality develops now or never. Get your peace now.
Lesson
“Bury my father” in Jewish tradition meant waiting for inheritance. The disciple was saying “Let me get financially secure first, then I’ll follow you fully.” Jesus rejected that completely. Follow me now. The dead can bury their own dead.
If you don’t develop the practice now, you won’t have it later. Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi are right – if you don’t give when you haven’t made it, you’re not in the habit or mentality to give when you have made it. The character forms now, not after circumstances improve.
What’s getting in your way? What are you waiting for before you’ll be who you want to be? That’s your “bury my father” excuse. That’s your “after I make it” delay.
Zig Ziglar’s be-do-have sequence trains us: Be who you wanna be first. Be that Christian man, husband, father, and leader first – not after you make more money, not after circumstances improve, not after you feel ready. Be it now.
Then do the things that person would do. Then have the fruits, blessings, rewards, and peace that come from being obedient and following now instead of later.
The faith line is wherever you’re drawing it. What are you worrying about? What’s causing stress and anxiety that keeps you from being who you wanna be? That worry, that stress, that anxiety – those are your excuses for waiting. Those are your “after I make it” delays.
Apply
This week, identify your “after I make it” excuse – the thing you’re waiting for before you’ll fully follow, fully give, fully be who you want to be. Write it down. Then ask: am I waiting for circumstances to improve before I’ll develop the character? Choose one area to be-do-have starting now: be the person, do what they’d do, then receive the fruit. Don’t wait for the fruit to come first.
You be blessed!
