Abandoned to Availability

 After months of reading through the Old Testament, and prophetic writings most recently, I was sure glad to turn the last page of Malachi and enter the New Testament. It did not take long in reading today before God spoke clearly through familiar passages, but with a new take. 

I read with great interest Matt 4:18-22. When I prayed through those passages, a phrase came out I have never uttered before. Abandoned to availability. Abandoned means to be unrestrained or uninhibited. That is exactly what these disciples did. Jesus issued an invitation and they abandoned themselves to follow wherever He would lead them. 

We live in a world where people abandon themselves to all sorts of things. Let me illustrate. This past Monday Brenda went to her follow up visit with the surgeon for her knee replacement. We stopped to eat lunch in Roanoke, TX. Sitting next to us were two families all decked out in Las Vegas Raiders gear of silver and black. They played the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday and these fans were flying back home. I thought about how much money they spent on game tickets, airline tickets, hotel accommodations, meals, and transportation. They abandoned themselves to follow their team far from home. 

We see people abandon themselves to all sorts of pursuits. What is much rarer to find is the followers of Jesus who abandon themselves to following Him no matter where He leads. 

What impresses me so much in these scriptures is the immediacy of their obedience. They were immediately available. Today people would spiritualize the whole thing by saying they need time to pray about it. There was an urgency in Jesus invitation. That is often the case. He calls people to follow Him. He invites people to live on mission for Him. He expects and demands a response. He desires our availability. Immediate obedience. 

I notice something. The younger we are the more adventurous we are. The more we seek the thrills of roller coasters, bungee jumping, or cliff diving to name a few adventures. Such things get the adrenaline flowing. You feel alive. The older we get the safer we want to play things. We nudge toward comfort and security more than risk and danger. 

I am not for running out and doing something foolish in the name of Jesus. I am a huge advocate of living everyday of our lives abandoned to availability to our Lord. Abraham uprooted everything at 75. Moses changed professions at 80. Caleb took on a huge military challenge at 85. I do not believe there is retirement from serving God. At 58, I want to be just as abandoned to availability to Him as I was at 25, 35, or 45. It does not matter what He asks. It does not matter how risky or foolish it looks. It does not matter if it makes rational sense. My desire is to live out my remaining days just as abandoned to availability as those first disciples. 

What about you? Does this peak your interest? Are you tired of playing it safe all the time? Do you long to really abandon yourself to Jesus and become available to be used by Him however He chooses? Adventure awaits. Massive God encounters will ensue. Don't waste your remaining years holding back. You will regret it. Throw caution to the wind and abandon yourself in availability to our Master. Only God knows what that will mean for each of us. I am betting it beats sitting on a cushioned pew callused to truth and petrified to His propositions.