Saturday, July 13, 2013
Luke 9:61-62 And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
THE DISCIPLE OF JESUS IS FULLY COMMITTED TO GOD'S KINGDOM
When you go to work or set about doing a certain task, your mind should be focused on the task at hand. Even in leisure, if you read while you're watching TV you get less out of both. The third man in Luke 9 who spoke to Jesus wanted to follow Him, but only on his terms. "And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." It is important to know that he wanted to do something else first. His mind was divided about what was the top priority in his life. Jesus wants our full attention. He responded, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." How straight could you plow if you looked back to the house and wished you were there, or didn't look where you were going because you wanted to do something else?
Many things on this earth are distracting and get in the way of following Jesus: sickness, money worries, stress of a job, the stress that comes worrying about things out of your control. There is also the prospect of death that can cause concern for anybody. Any or all of these things will eat you up if you keep looking back and focusing your attention on them. Jesus, on the other hand says, "Come unto Me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Keep on looking ahead. It is well worth it to follow Jesus. His promises are sure and everlasting. You can trust Him completely.
Jesus went the distance for us. He has made us fit for the kingdom of God, and He has called us to follow Him in the work of this kingdom. Let us follow Him, not for glory on this earth, but with the goal of heavenly glory. Let us follow Him committed to the Father's business, committed to His Kingdom and not looking back. Don't let the job description of "disciple" scare you off. Don't look back with regret or in distraction. Instead, keep in mind God's retirement plan, which is literally out of this world.
