Being Fit for the Kingdom of God
I have never had the experience of plowing a field, only a small garden. I know for me, it was a challenging task. I was constantly having to try to keep the plow at the right depth, and it took quite a bit of strength to hold everything steady. If I had been doing a large field, it would have taken much more effort. However, the main thing it would take is complete focus and concentration on the task. There is no way the plowing could be successful, if I was looking around and being distracted by other things. I believe that is why Jesus said what He said to the man who was interested in following Him, but he wanted to go home and say farewell to his family and friends first. (Luke 9:62) Jesus did not forbid him from doing that, but He gave a serious warning to the man. We all need to consider what Jesus said.
When we come to Christ, and we make our commitment to follow Him as His disciple. We must be focused on the great responsibility He has given to us. It takes all of our dedication and concentration on a daily basis. If we lose focus and look back at distractions, we will fail miserably. We can have many distractions, just like the man Jesus addressed. Our family and friends could be distractions. If our attention is on them, instead of being on Christ and His mission for us, we are not fit for the kingdom of God. Yes, that sounds very ominous, and I think Jesus said it to scare us into the realization of the importance of plowing the field and planting the seeds. The field is this world, all of the people around us. The seed is the Word of God and the Gospel. It is up to us to get the Word out to everyone in our field, so they can know the Lord and have eternal life. Therefore, we must not look back, but focus fully on the kingdom work.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 10-12.
When we come to Christ, and we make our commitment to follow Him as His disciple. We must be focused on the great responsibility He has given to us. It takes all of our dedication and concentration on a daily basis. If we lose focus and look back at distractions, we will fail miserably. We can have many distractions, just like the man Jesus addressed. Our family and friends could be distractions. If our attention is on them, instead of being on Christ and His mission for us, we are not fit for the kingdom of God. Yes, that sounds very ominous, and I think Jesus said it to scare us into the realization of the importance of plowing the field and planting the seeds. The field is this world, all of the people around us. The seed is the Word of God and the Gospel. It is up to us to get the Word out to everyone in our field, so they can know the Lord and have eternal life. Therefore, we must not look back, but focus fully on the kingdom work.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 10-12.