26^th January

 “Another said, ”Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plough and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

 Luke 9:61-62 (NLT)

 In the last few verse of Luke chapter 9, Jesus educates three keen men in what it means and costs to follow Him. In summary, Jesus highlights to these men that in order to fully follow Him, they have to surrender their hearts, even if it means there is a great cost. So often our response to Jesus’ call is, as the man Jesus is talking to said, … “BUT first let me…” However, Jesus wants our whole heart, no part of it.

In verse 62 Jesus answers the “but first” statement with a profound statement of His own. “Anyone who puts a hand to the plough and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

If we are to fully surrender our lives and follow Christ, then we simply cannot afford to live in the past. Looking back, after you have your hand on the plough, implies that you are still living in the past. A farmer cannot plough a field if his eyes are not fully focused on the task. The plough would simply loose control and not dig up the fields evenly. And when he distributes the seed, the harvest will also grow unevenly. So it is with our lives.

What is hindering your today and your future? Are there things that you need to let go of in order to move forward in and with Christ? Experiences do build character and persevering through tribulations grows us as men and women of God, however if we let them, negative experiences also bring us down and make us loose focus in our lives.

Looking forward may not always clear, we may not always know where to go or what to do, but it encourages us to trust in God and lean on His guidance and know that our past is forgiven and that there is healing in His Name.

Fix your eyes on Jesus, follow Him, and you wont get lost.