Putting God on Hold

"As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.' He said to another man, 'Follow me.' But he replied, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.' Still another said, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.' Jesus replied, 'No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'"  Luke 9:57-62 (NIV)

What is your response when God calls? Is it "Yes, Sir! Right away, Sir!" or is it "I'll get back to you on that."? Hard to imagine that we would put God on "hold" but it happens all the time. Maybe He's not asking you drop everything and go to Africa--maybe He's just asking you to talk to your neighbor about Jesus. It doesn't really matter if it's a big request or a small one, God expects our obedience when He asks, not when we feel like it. We have plenty of excuses, things we have to do first, just as these men who were called to follow Jesus did. But notice Jesus' response to those excuses--when it comes to serving in the Kingdom, delayed obedience disqualifies us.