August 11, 2023: The Further You Go, The Less You Can Take

"Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road." (Luke 10:4, ESV)

The message to the Twelve when Jesus sends them out (Matthew 10) is basically the same message given to the seventy. "Take nothing with you." Why would Jesus ask them not to take anything with them? The deeper answer is this; the further you go with Jesus, the less you can take with you.  
    
Those who follow Jesus the longest find that the simpler you live life, the less baggage you have to carry. Another way of saying this is that things become less important the longer you walk with Jesus.
    
On the practical side, Jesus showed them that ministry is always by faith. All of it! You have to trust God to make a way for you. There would be a day when Jesus tells them to take all these things, but they must learn to trust first.   

He also wanted them to be able to move unencumbered. Since they would be trusting others to provide for them, you don't want to carry lots of stuff that says, "I can take care of myself." Jesus wanted those, who received His grace, to be able to sow back into those who delivered the Gospel to them.
    
The worker is worth his wages. God takes care of his own. He may do it through others, but He takes care of His own.