The Look Back Could Cost You
Luke 9:57-62 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Hey! Hi and hello P.R.E.T.T.Y women. We have been living this first quarter of 2022 like that of the farmer. January was full of celebration of all God did in 2021. February was meant to turn inward and allow God to work on our minds, hearts, and relationships with others. March is where we get back to business, and now that we know we are about our Father’s business, it is time to get to work. Last week we uncovered how important work is to the Lord. He gives us the greatest example of hard work then leaves us with instructions for anyone who is willing to take up the job. In this passage of scripture, we see three individuals who seem to have a heart so willing. However, when Christ calls out their hesitancy, we see their hearts offer Him nothing but shallow ground. Jesus’ response to each man showed the seriousness of what it means to be called to follow Him. In His last response I can almost feel how fed up He is with the trivial excuses of us humans. “No man who puts a hand to the plough…” In ancient times the plow was outfitted with a forked stick, usually made from the sharpened end of a tree branch. A plow with this type of set up did very little for the soil. The most it did was scratch the surface. So, you mean to tell me that we don’t have the work ethic to do so little as scratch the surface of our hearts before we allow any excuse to pull away from our business at hand? The three people who encountered Christ were so eager to follow in the work God was calling them to do. But Christ challenged them, not even allowing dying family members and the threat of homelessness to stop them from performing the jobs necessary for the kingdom. You might be asking, what is the point of putting my hand to the plow if it only does so much as scratch the surface? The beauty of such a menial contraption is that with fertile soil and a heart willing to work, there is room enough for God to plant a seed. When there is so much work to be done there is no time to bury the dead, fret about where to lay your head, or even give a farewell to family you may never see again. Now, I am not saying drop everything and walk out the door of your home. What I am saying is it is time to get to work. We cannot allow any distraction to pull us away from the work of the kingdom of God. Start walking in purpose, working with purpose, and glorifying God. My job in the kingdom may not look the same as your job, but the work is for the same purpose. To point the world back to the Savior. To glorify Him in all that we do. The work starts in our hearts: denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him. I encourage you to do this work, and after you've assessed it well in prayer and through reading the word of God daily, I look forward to hearing about your plans. This process will get you in gear to put your hand to the plow of purpose and never look back at doing anything but for the glory of God. My P.R.E.T.T.Y friend, have a Pretty day on and in purpose. Till next time
