But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
“I was winning the race,” said Rosemarie as she bragged about being an ace athlete at school. “It was the 200m. I was in the third lane and was making good ground.
My arch opponent was in the second lane and gaining on me. As I ran, I turned my head and looked behind me to see how far ahead I was. Unwittingly, as I looked back, I drifted over into lane two,” said Rosemarie. “I won the race but was disqualified for changing lanes. If I had not looked back, I would have been champion.”
Jesus said, “No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” He was answering disciples who said they would follow him anywhere. They knew that, when ploughing a field, the farmer sets his gaze on a spot on the far side of the field, without looking back at the ploughed furrows. If he shifts his focus and looks back, he will create a small kink in the furrow he is ploughing. He might not even notice the kink until he com pletes ploughing the field. Then he’ll notice that small kink has become amplified by every pass until it became a large wave in the ploughed furrows upon completion.
Tracking the Christian life is like running a race or ploughing a field. We need to set our gaze on Jesus, the author of our lives, without looking back. If we take our eyes off Jesus, we will cause a kink in our Christian track that will eventually become amplified throughout life until we change lanes and become disqualified.
Be encouraged to fix your eyes on Jesus and run in such a way as to obtain the prize.