Tag: don’t look back
Don’t look back!
Scripture reading for October 22: Luke 7-9
“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 his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:61-62
It looks like a glamorous life to trust God and walk by faith. In reality, it involves some difficult choices in each individual disciple’s life. I made an initial commitment to follow the Lord when I was in my early teens. I went to an altar in a small country Methodist church and prayed to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior. I learned little about what I had done and was not really a committed follower of the Lord until my mid-20’s. By then, I had chosen to follow my father in the family farm business . My wife and I became youth leaders and I studied to become a lay preacher in the Methodist church. We were building our family and farming operation.
Like many young farmers, we raised hogs and built a big complex of buildings where we conducted our business. This required a lot of borrowed money and sweat equity! Then God broke into my busy world and renewed His call on my life to serve Him and preach His Word! We began to seek the Lord as a family and over the next 10 years worked toward a ministerial license through the Berean School of the Bible. We worked hard on the farm to get out of debt and to re-order our priorities according to Scripture. God worked with us and directed us step by step as we had asked Him to.
As I completed my study for license, we were finally debt-free and a door opened for ministry in our local church. We carefully followed as God directed. We spent another five years farming and at the same time serving as a staff pastor in a large city church. After that time, we had clear direction to stop farming and sell all of our equipment. A little later we also tore down our hog buildings and buried the remains. This was like Elisha burning his plow and not looking back! (1st Kings 19:19-21)
It has been exciting to follow Jesus! When we started, we did not know all that it would require. It has been difficult and full of trials, but His yoke is easy and His burden is light! We wouldn’t go back for anything! If God has called you to put your hand to His plow, do it with joy! The journey is worth it. Don’t look back!
Keep looking ahead!
Scripture reading for October 23rd: Luke 7-9
“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 his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:61-62
Following Jesus Christ seems to be an easy assignment at first. Leaving the everyday responsibilities to trust God and walk by faith seems like a glamorous pursuit. In reality, it involves some difficult choices. In my own life, I made an initial commitment to follow the Lord when I was in my early teens. I went to an altar in a small country Methodist church and prayed to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior. I had chosen to follow my father in farming and had studied farm management at the university. My wife and I were youth leaders in our church and I became a lay preacher in the Methodist church. We were building our family and farming operation while life went on.
We raised hogs and had built a big complex of buildings where we conducted our business. This required borrowed money and sweat equity! Then God broke into my busy world and renewed His call on my life to serve Him and preach His word! We began to seek the Lord and over the next 10 years I worked toward a ministerial license. We worked hard to get out of debt and to re-order our priorities according to Scripture.
As I completed my study for license, we were finally debt-free and a door opened for ministry in our local church. We carefully followed as God directed. We spent just a few years farming and at the same time serving as a staff pastor in a large city church. After that time, we had clear direction to stop farming and sell all of our equipment. A little later we also tore down our hog buildings and buried the remains. This was like Elisha burning his plow and not looking back! (1st Kings 19:19-21)
Today we wouldn’t go back for anything! If God has called you to put your hand to His plow, do it with joy! The journey is exciting and the best is yet to come! Keep looking ahead!
Demands of following Jesus!
Scripture reading for April 2nd: Luke 9:51-10:12
“As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) Jesus was a man on a mission who had a goal in mind. The end of this goal was death by crucifixion, a resurrection and return to His home in heaven. He knew that He must prepare His followers to carry on the mission here on earth of reaching the entire world with the good news of repentance and faith. These disciples must be fully committed and follow His instructions implicitly.
When the disciples went ahead into Samaria to secure a place for Jesus and themselves to stay, they found opposition and rejection in a certain village. When James and John heard about this, they asked Jesus about calling fire down from heaven and destroying that village and people. Jesus rebuked them! Following Jesus was not just a power trip. There would be rejection and suffering. He had not come to judge, but to save!
As they walked along, a man came to Jesus and said, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” (Luke 9:57-58) Jesus did not take every person who expressed interest in following Him. He made demands on them and plainly told them of the difficulties of the journey. Following Jesus may require great hardship and physical discomfort to reach those who need to hear the message.
Jesus asked another man they met to follow Him. This man asked for time to bury His father first. It is likely that the father was ill or maybe just old and this man felt the need to care for the father. Jesus told him to let the dead bury the dead and to instead go and proclaim the kingdom of God! Jesus demanded a willingness to leave even family responsibilities to do His will and work!
Another man said he wanted to follow Jesus, but wanted to go say good-bye to his family. Jesus told him, “No one who put his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” When one chooses to follow the Lord there must be no turning back. Fitness for God’s kingdom requires a focus and complete surrender.