Be Committed To God & Don’t Look Back
Have you ever tried to tell someone about Jesus, to let them know, Jesus loves them, died for them, and can help them?
Perhaps when you did, the person came out with all kinds of excuses why they could not accept Jesus into their life. For examples, the person is angry with God for allowing a loved one to pass away. The person may want to achieve certain things in their life before they would consider making such a commitment. The person may feel that he/she is already only want to follow Jesus for certain reasons.
Luke 9:57 to 62 tell us about the true cost of following Jesus as one of His disciples (or as a Christian).
One person said that he would follow Jesus wherever He went. However, Jesus let him know that he would not have a permanent place to lay his head if he did follow Him. Another person wanted to go and bury his father first. Jesus wanted him to go and preach the Kingdom of God and leave that task to others. Yet another person said that He would follow Jesus but let him go and say goodbye to his family first. Those at his house may try to talk him out of following Jesus.
Jesus made his point about the seriousness of committing to follow Him; by using an illustration, they would understand. Have you ever seen a farmer ploughing his field, looking behind himself whilst doing so? It would make it extremely difficult for him to plough straight furrows. (straight lines in the earth, in which to place the seeds.)
“Having put his hand to the plow” means engaging in a task. “The task” Jesus is referring to in this instance, is serving in the Kingdom of God.
In the weeks Prayer and Fasting Focus fast and pray:
• That Jesus will give us the confidence to remain committed to Him, no matter what.
• That we put Jesus first in our lives.
• That members of our church family, will be strongly committed to Jesus, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and live right, for God’s kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth, as it’s done in Heaven.
Prayer and Fasting Topic: Be committed to God and Don’t Look Back
Bible reading: Luke 9: 57 -62
Key verse: Luke 9: 62 “But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, if fit for the Kingdom of God.”