For would-be followers today, it can be any one of these, or it can be money (and what it can buy), friends, your phone (or your desire to have one), the internet and social media, music, a TV show or video game that you know is inappropriate, your need to fit in, your fear of being alone, or _____________ (you fill in the blank)? Are you willing to consider what it is that causes you to keep “looking back” instead of getting serious about your commitment to Jesus? to keep one foot in the world and the other in the Christian life?
To the young man who asked Jesus if he could go and “say good-bye” to his family, Jesus responded, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61) Jesus wasn’t saying family isn’t important. But He did want the young man to understand that when we commit to following Him, He wants our eyes to be focused on Him, not on all the things we’re leaving behind. Many of us claim to be followers of Jesus, but we do just that — we keep turning around and looking back, falling back into our old ways, pining for what we’re supposed to be leaving behind. Our feet might be pointed in the direction of Jesus, but our eyes are still on the world.
Over the past several months, we’ve learned that following Jesus is about way more than the words we say. We can say we follow Jesus, but the evidence is in what we DO and how we choose to live. We can’t follow Jesus with one foot in the world and the other in the Christian life. The pressure to fit in and go with the flow of the world around us is great. But with God’s help we can go against the tide. It can and probably will be scary at times. But just remember, this world and all that’s in it will one day pass away. What you do for Jesus will last forever!
So how about you? What are you hiding behind your back? What’s that one thing you struggle to give to Jesus, that one thing that keeps you from truly following Him? Are you willing to recognize it for what it is? Are you willing to give it up and follow Him with every part of yourself? It’s the best decision you will ever make. And the best part is it’s never too late to make it. Will you start right here, right now?