Luke 9:62 “But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Sometimes when we read the things Jesus has said we think He was trying to avoid gaining a following. This statement definitely seemed to be meant to discourage new followers. But, we need to look deeper and simply understand the kind of followers Jesus is looking for.
Jesus doesn’t want fair-weather fans. He isn’t looking for facebook or twitter follows. He doesn’t want people to make Him famous or promote His brand. He wants absolute, complete and total surrender of all that we are to all that He is. He isn’t looking for people who think they need Him and want to ‘try out’ for a while as His disciples. He is looking for those who know they need Him and come to Him because He is their only hope.
Jesus is very honest. He doesn’t play games with your soul. He isn’t going to give you a sense of false hope. He will make it clear what is expected. But, He will also bring great blessing to your life. The twelve forsook all and followed. And, except for the traitor among them, their reward was great. I have yet to run across anyone who committed all to Christ and regretted it. I have seen many who were not true followers who did live with regret.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth. You have made it available and given us the chance to accept and follow after Christ. You are gracious, merciful and kind above all that we could ever hope for. We deserve none of it. And yet, in You, our lives become so very valuable. We know we are nothing, and yet we can embrace everything by the power of Your Spirit. You are amazing, awesome, and truly wonderful! We will live to love You and to seek to please You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.