Jesus said, ‘Protect yourself against…greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot’ (Luke 12:15 MSG). We live in a materialistic society that’s obsessed with accumulating stuff. But the more you have, the more you have to worry about. So, what do you suppose Jesus wanted to teach His disciples when He sent them out ‘without a wallet, bag, or sandals’? Author Cynthia Ruchti asks: ‘Was He showing them He was all they would ever need? Did He want them to learn dependence on Him? Was He instructing them in the humility of accepting help from others – a bed for the night, a meal, a borrowed coat when temperatures dropped? Did He hope they would realise they could get along with fewer belongings? That their success depended on travelling light? That they would be safer from thieves along the journey if they had nothing worth stealing? Was it focus that Jesus cared about most? With nothing in their hands to distract them, would the disciples cling more diligently to His words and to the ministry of caring for people’s physical and spiritual needs? The more I think about it, the more value I see in the “no baggage” directive. What if I walked into my day, conscious of a no-wallet, no-extra-sandals mentality, intensely focused on Jesus, on His words and His mission, the mission He passed on to us? What if I measured success not by how much I accumulated but on how little I need to survive if I stay close to Jesus? What would I lack? Nothing!’

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.