My wife and I have been
studying the Patriarchs lately (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob),
and Jacob really
jumps off the page. He never really got his act together until he was a very
old man.
Their (the Patriarchs)
offspring wasted forty years in the wilderness from God’s judgment upon them, basically
because they didn’t believe God.
As a child of God most High
how much time have you wasted in your life by not being obedient to God’s will
for your life? Don’t fret, I have asked myself the same question. Isn’t it
embarrassing?
Jesus said, “… No one, after
putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
(Luke 9:62)
Now that is a scary verse, if
your plow is getting rusty. Some of us have plowed the whole field, and others
of us have just plowed a few rows. Then there are those who took a long look at
the plow, the mule and the field and decide it isn’t for them. The sun is too
hot and the work too hard.
(I must parenthetically add
at this point that salvation is never earned or kept by our sweat, but by
Jesus’ blood. Also, only a legitimate Christian can produce sweat equity which
will be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. The Biblical fact is that many
have looked at what it cost to serve Jesus and decided they were not
interested. Another example and Biblical fact is, only a true Christian can be
water baptized. All others are dunked.)
If we really are a Christian,
the Lord has assigned each of us a plow (if you will) and a section of the
field He expects us to work. For most all of us that field is our family,
neighbors and those we work alongside. How is your field looking? Hopefully,
it’s close to being finished and with straight furrows. That reminds me, have you noticed that the
more you plow, the straighter the furrows?
Let me be clear that my Dad
was a farmer, and he knew it well, but I have never been a farmer (a backyard
gardener doesn’t qualify). I have never been behind a mule (or on a tractor for
the more modern folks), but we all surely have enough sense to know what Jesus
is talking about. He is simply saying that if we are not interested in His
work, then we obviously are not interested in Him.
Do you want the job? You have
to get hired first. So, how do you go about getting hired to plow for Jesus?
There is a special application form that only contains one question? The question
is, “Do you believe in Me?”
You see, that bunch wandering
around in the desert for forty years didn’t believe. They claimed the Name, but
that was all. They really didn’t believe. However, Caleb and Joshua believed,
and they entered the Promised Land.
It’s the same today. Some
really believe and some never do, even though they may claim the Name. Then
there are those like Jacob. It takes them awhile to get there, but they finally
come around, and believe. Those who believe can plow. Those who do not believe
don’t get one (a plow that is).
So, if you have your plow, is
it worn from use or rusty from non-use? I’m sure those with rusty plows are by
now getting worried. So, let’s take a look at another Scripture verse.
Paul said, “Brethren, I do
not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting
what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the
goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore,
as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a
different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living
by that same standard to which we have attained.” (Philippians 3:13-16)
“Forgetting what lies behind
and reaching forward to what lies ahead.” So often we waste so much time
worrying about the past we get nothing done in the here and now. What does that
do for our future? We continue to worry, because we did not take care of the
present. What a vicious cycle!
If the Lord is leading you to
serve Him in some way, my suggestion is “Just do it.” He may be calling you to
be the best parent or spouse you can be. He may be calling you to the mission
field. He may be calling you to be the hardest worker at your job site. He may
be calling you to teach a Sunday school class. He may be calling you to be the
kindest person in your neighborhood. He may be calling you to offer a smile to
those who forgot how.
The point is every member of
the true Church is to respond to the Head of the Church in what He wants us to
do. My hand does what my mind tells it to do. The same is true with my foot. As
our hand responds and obeys our head, we should respond to Christ as the Head
of the Church.
Have you wasted a lot of time
… perhaps years? Put it behind you and start now, right now. The future will be
no different than the past until we change the present.
Going back to Philippians
3:13-16 the apostle Paul said, “… reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press
on toward the goal.” When plowing behind that mule the farmer wants his furrows
to be straight. To do so, he sets his eyes on something at the other end of the
row and aims directly toward it. When he is finished his furrows will be
straight. When we set our eyes upon Jesus Christ, not deviating to the left or
right, our spiritual furrows will be straight, and we will be in harmony with,
“the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Our God is not looking for
excuses to beat us over the head. He knows we are but clay. He is on our side!
Start today, and just follow His lead. You will wonder why you waited so long,
and you will be free of the guilt of having a rusty plow. When you dig that
plow down in the dirt, it will take no time at all until all the rust is gone.
Pick up your plow today, and today will be the first day of many happy days to
come.
I recall my Dad saying that
when he was a boy he would have sold the whole farm for fifty cents. Guess how
he felt about it as a grown man. He loved it. You will too.
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
