"Jesus Turns to Jerusalem" - Luke 9:51-62

I sometimes wonder where our excuses come from. And how many of them are rooted in a truth that has been transformed into a stumbling block. Case and point, the men who greeted Jesus along the road to Jerusalem. Some say they want to follow Jesus and others Jesus calls out to and asks them to follow him. But they all had excuses - things seen and unseen that were holding them back. Family, parents, waiting to say goodbye, wanting comfort and security. And those excuses made them all ultimately turn away. It takes an emotionally healthy person to pause before they give an excuse as a knee-jerk reaction and instead examine where that excuses may come from. What is behind it. And if it is something that needs to be set aside. That takes a lot of work. And work that quite frankly we are not equipped to do on our own. It is an awareness of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, setting us free from the excuses that bind us, and transforming them along the journey of living for the Kingdom mission. What excuses do you need the Holy Spirit to help you examine this week?