Luke 9:62

“Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'” (Luke 9:62, NASB)

In Jesus’ day, everyone understood farming. Plowing a field was hard, exhausting work. You grabbed the plow handle, and you kept your eyes fixed on a point ahead of you—a tree, a rock, a distant landmark. You focused on that point and kept moving forward. Because if you looked back, if you got distracted, if you wavered, the plow would veer off course. The furrow would become crooked. The work would be ruined. A farmer who was distracted wasn’t fit for farming. He couldn’t do the job. However, Jesus isn’t talking about farming. He’s talking about discipleship. He’s talking about following Him. He’s talking about Gospel work. He’s talking about the Christian life. And He’s saying this: if you’re going to follow Me, you have to keep your hand on the plow. You have to keep moving forward. You can’t keep looking back at what you’ve left behind. You can’t keep wondering if you made the right choice. You can’t keep questioning whether this is worth it. You can’t keep being distracted by the things this world has to offer. Because the moment you take your eyes off the Him, the moment you start looking back with regret or doubt, you lose your way. The furrow becomes crooked. Your life becomes a mess.

Now, Jesus isn’t saying you should never reflect on the past. He’s not saying you should never learn from your mistakes. What He’s saying is that you can’t long for your past life. You can’t be so consumed with regret, fear, doubt or “what if” that you lose focus on the present task. Looking back means questioning your commitment. It means thinking, “Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I should have chosen a different path. Maybe this isn’t worth the cost”. Looking back means allowing discouragement to convince you that you should quit. Looking back means letting the difficulty of the present moment make you forget why you started in the first place. And Jesus says: if that’s where your heart is, you’re not fit for the kingdom. Because you can’t serve God with a divided heart. You can’t follow Jesus while constantly wondering if you should be following someone or something else.

But I want to acknowledge something: maybe you’re reading this and you’re genuinely exhausted, discouraged, or struggling to find the energy to push forward. Maybe you’ve been serving the Lord for decades, maybe just a few years.  Either way we all go through times where our commitment to the Lord and service to Him becomes difficult work.  I wish it was easy all the time!  But we all know that part of the human condition is that we are prone to weakness. And maybe in that time of weakness you’re wondering if it’s worth it. This is the reality of living in a fallen world where hard work is required and rest is scarce. But here’s the thing: Jesus isn’t calling you to keep your hand on the plow because He’s cruel. He’s not asking you to push through when plowing the path ahead becomes hard and filled with stones because He enjoys watching you suffer. He’s calling you to keep your hand on the plow because that’s where blessing is found. The farmer doesn’t plow the field because plowing is fun. The farmer plows because the plowing leads to a harvest. The exhaustion of the work is temporary. The fruit of the work is eternal. And that’s true in your life too. The exhaustion, indifference or discouragement that you’re feeling right now is temporary. But the fruit of your faithfulness, the fruit of your obedience, the fruit of your refusal to quit—that’s eternal.

Here’s what happens when you keep your hand on the plow. When you refuse to look back. When you keep your eyes fixed on the goal ahead. First, you discover that the Lord’s strength is perfected in Your weakness.  You rely more on the Lord than you do on yourself.  You seek the strength that only comes from the Holy Spirit.  And you will find it.  And in this moment you hear Jesus reminding you, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Second, you discover that the work itself becomes meaningful. When you stop questioning whether you should be doing it and just commit to doing it well, something shifts. The work that felt like drudgery becomes purposeful. The exhaustion that felt like burden becomes sacrifice. And sacrifice, when offered to God, becomes worship. Third, you discover that the goal ahead becomes clearer. When you stop looking back and keep your eyes fixed forward, the destination comes into focus. You remember why you started. You remember what you’re working toward. You remember that this exhaustion is temporary, but the fruit is eternal.

But let’s be honest about what happens to people who do look back. Who do question their commitment. Who do wonder if they should have chosen a different path. They become unstable. They become unreliable. They become people who start things but don’t finish them. They become people who commit but then withdraw when the cost gets too high. Not only are they unfit for the kingdom—they become miserable. Because they’re caught between two worlds. They’re trying to follow Jesus, but they’re also trying to hold onto the life they left behind. They’re trying to move forward, but they’re constantly looking back. And that divided heart creates internal chaos. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve watched people start this Christian life with enthusiasm, and then halfway through—when the work gets hard, when the sacrifice becomes real—they look back. They think about the “easier” life they could have had. They wonder if they made a mistake. And suddenly, they’re not all in anymore. They’re half-hearted. They’re distracted.

So here’s what I want you to do this week. When exhaustion hits—and it will—when you’re tempted to look back and become distracted, I want you to do something simple; fix your eyes on the goal ahead. Not on the difficulty of the present moment. But on the goal. On the harvest, on the reward of heaven, on the joy of fellowship with God. On the fruit of your faithfulness. Remember why you started. Remember what you’re working toward. Remember that this exhaustion is temporary, but the fruit is eternal. And then keep your hand on the plow. Because you’re fit for the kingdom. And the kingdom needs your faithfulness.

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor John