Following Jesus

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Luke 9:51-62
Matthew 8:18-22

"No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Once we decide we are going to follow Jesus we can not look back. Longing for the past will interfere with God's plan for you for the future. When a farmer is plowing, if he is looking backward, his furrows will not be in a straight row. We can't see ahead if we are always looking back.

Sometimes we feel that we are in the dark when we are following the Lord. God doesn't give us a detailed itinerary of what He has planned for us. We don't know what lies ahead. Sometimes, many times, we don't know where we are going. That is where trust comes in. We must trust the Lord with our lives. We must believe that He knows best. There is a reason why He is bringing you the way that He is. Even if you don't understand and can't see the way clearly. "For we walk by faith not by sight"  (2Cor. 5:7)-- We must trust Him with our lives.

Don't look back. Lot's wife looked back (with a longing in her heart for the life of Sodom) and God turned her into a pillar of salt. (Gen. 19:26)  It is not wrong to look back on our lives and remember the good and bad times. It is not wrong to testify about where God has brought us. But if we have a longing in our heart for the things of our past life- where God  has brought us from- then it becomes a hindrance of what He is trying to do with us now.

Following Jesus- isn't always easy, isn't always planned out on our part. But if we remain faithful to following the Lord, we will never regret it. He only has our best interest in mind. We must have faith in what He is doing in our lives today.

Follow Christ at all costs.

From Pastor Keith's sermon- Sunday, July 22, 2012

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