Read Luke 9:1-9

When Jesus was commissioning His disciples for their first mission trips, He gave them some strange travel advice.

He said not to take any baggage, not even a carry-on (v. 3). Furthermore, don’t make hotel reservations. But when you find a place, stay put. Don’t waste time and energy looking for a better deal (v. 4). Be pleasant, stay focused, and don’t waste time on persons who don’t want to listen. If folks were unwelcoming, He recommended a strange little ritual. As they left the disagreeable town, they were to ceremonially shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against that unfriendly place (v. 5).

He did not ask them to take any vow of poverty or hardship. But He wanted them to understand from the outset that everything came from Him. They could do nothing without His power and authority. Traveling with no baggage and no advance planning proved to them—and to us— Christ’s faithfulness in all the events of our lives.

A long time later, Jesus instructed His disciples to take supplies and even go armed when they traveled (Luke 22:36). But when He reminded them of those early days and asked if they had lacked anything when He sent them out empty handed, the disciples had to say, no they had lacked nothing (Luke 22:35).

The bottom line for us? Obey Jesus’ instructions tailored for us, and prove His faithfulness.