Put Your Hands to the Plow and Don't Look Back
Luke 9:57-62
Lately, I have noticed how I sometimes allow distractions to hinder me from what God has called me to do. I am embarrassed to say that there are even periods of time when I have put God’s calling on hold. After talking to other people of God who share the same concerns, I felt compelled to express some thoughts that I hope will encourage the Saints. Please refer to Luke 9: 57-62. In this passage someone says to Jesus as He journeys, “Lord, I will follow You wherever you go”. Jesus replies, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another says he can follow, but not until after he buries his father. And still another says to Jesus that he will follow Jesus but he must first go bid farewell to his family. Then Jesus spoke to him saying, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” At first glance Jesus' responses to these reasonable requests seem harsh. But that is just the point, to emphasize the cost of discipleship. Our attention, commitment, and allegiance to Christ should make everything else in our life secondary. HE is first! My friend, do you think of Christ and his calling in this manner or have you misplaced your priorities? The demands of the kingdom override all earthly loyalties. Let me share with you three things that will help us keep our lives focused on Christ and kingdom work.
Remember who you are
We know from 2 Corinthians 5 that when we are saved we are made new; old things have passed away, and behold all things are new. You are now a new creation of the Most Holy God; a “peculiar people”, not of the world. Therefore we don’t think as the world nor should we conduct ourselves as the world does. God has a plan for your life and work for you to do. If you are saved you are expected to contribute to the kingdom as God has gifted you, which is your primary purpose after redemption. Not all of us will be in the spot light but all of us have a job to do. Saints remember who you are and who bought you by his blood on the cross.
Learn to actively ignore things that are negative
These are things that bring no value to our lives and things that can wait. This may sound strange to some but this is very important. Because of our limitations and time constraints, there is only so much that we can get done in a day, so we must choose how we spend out time. We must learn to say “no” to some things and some people, so that we don’t get to the end our lives only to find that we did everything except what God called us to do. Remember, saying “no” to worldly things means saying yes to God. We should not put things or people off forever, but prioritize our lives in an effort to please our Father God. In Ecclesiastes 3, we learn from King Solomon that everything has a season.
But if you find yourself struggling with a to-do list a mile long, you can find great encouragement from Paul in Philippians 4:6-9, where he exhorts to be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to God. We should pray and give our lives over to God to govern and organize. If you are feeling overwhelmed today, I encourage you to pray and be filled with the peace of God. Additionally Paul, teaches us not to dwell on negative things but whatever things are true, noble, just, lovely, and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things. How much time have we wasted focusing on the wrong things while God's work is being left undone? We must learn to put off the things that can wait to get done what needs to be done now.
Simply focus
Singleness of mind - the cost of discipleship. Jesus says that, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” In other words we must lay down our lives for God. Put down our agenda in order to do the work he has called us to do. It is no longer about us and what we want, but what HE wants. When was the last time you asked God what He wanted from you, from your life? Jesus lets this man know that he can't look back and neither can we. We can't look back! We can't look back to past mistakes or successes; we must keep plowing. We must stay focused on the task at hand whatever God has called you to do, remembering who we are and ignoring the distractions. Saints, it is too easy to lose your way and fall into a worldly routine. Never underestimate Satan or his subtle schemes to get you to sin and stray away from God.
We must stay prayerful and close to the cross.
Luke 9:57-62
Lately, I have noticed how I sometimes allow distractions to hinder me from what God has called me to do. I am embarrassed to say that there are even periods of time when I have put God’s calling on hold. After talking to other people of God who share the same concerns, I felt compelled to express some thoughts that I hope will encourage the Saints. Please refer to Luke 9: 57-62. In this passage someone says to Jesus as He journeys, “Lord, I will follow You wherever you go”. Jesus replies, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another says he can follow, but not until after he buries his father. And still another says to Jesus that he will follow Jesus but he must first go bid farewell to his family. Then Jesus spoke to him saying, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” At first glance Jesus' responses to these reasonable requests seem harsh. But that is just the point, to emphasize the cost of discipleship. Our attention, commitment, and allegiance to Christ should make everything else in our life secondary. HE is first! My friend, do you think of Christ and his calling in this manner or have you misplaced your priorities? The demands of the kingdom override all earthly loyalties. Let me share with you three things that will help us keep our lives focused on Christ and kingdom work.
Remember who you are
We know from 2 Corinthians 5 that when we are saved we are made new; old things have passed away, and behold all things are new. You are now a new creation of the Most Holy God; a “peculiar people”, not of the world. Therefore we don’t think as the world nor should we conduct ourselves as the world does. God has a plan for your life and work for you to do. If you are saved you are expected to contribute to the kingdom as God has gifted you, which is your primary purpose after redemption. Not all of us will be in the spot light but all of us have a job to do. Saints remember who you are and who bought you by his blood on the cross.
Learn to actively ignore things that are negative
These are things that bring no value to our lives and things that can wait. This may sound strange to some but this is very important. Because of our limitations and time constraints, there is only so much that we can get done in a day, so we must choose how we spend out time. We must learn to say “no” to some things and some people, so that we don’t get to the end our lives only to find that we did everything except what God called us to do. Remember, saying “no” to worldly things means saying yes to God. We should not put things or people off forever, but prioritize our lives in an effort to please our Father God. In Ecclesiastes 3, we learn from King Solomon that everything has a season.
But if you find yourself struggling with a to-do list a mile long, you can find great encouragement from Paul in Philippians 4:6-9, where he exhorts to be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to God. We should pray and give our lives over to God to govern and organize. If you are feeling overwhelmed today, I encourage you to pray and be filled with the peace of God. Additionally Paul, teaches us not to dwell on negative things but whatever things are true, noble, just, lovely, and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things. How much time have we wasted focusing on the wrong things while God's work is being left undone? We must learn to put off the things that can wait to get done what needs to be done now.
Simply focus
Singleness of mind - the cost of discipleship. Jesus says that, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” In other words we must lay down our lives for God. Put down our agenda in order to do the work he has called us to do. It is no longer about us and what we want, but what HE wants. When was the last time you asked God what He wanted from you, from your life? Jesus lets this man know that he can't look back and neither can we. We can't look back! We can't look back to past mistakes or successes; we must keep plowing. We must stay focused on the task at hand whatever God has called you to do, remembering who we are and ignoring the distractions. Saints, it is too easy to lose your way and fall into a worldly routine. Never underestimate Satan or his subtle schemes to get you to sin and stray away from God.
We must stay prayerful and close to the cross.
