Plow Boy
Luke 9:62 "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God"
I once dreamed of being a plow boy-a farmer that is.
One of my grandfathers was a farmer and the other had been. I suppose the dirt,
the sweat, the smell of diesel fuel, crops reaching for the morning sun and
releasing the night’s dew, and the joy of a bountiful harvest all pulled me
toward the profession.
Added to my heritage was the fact that I worked with a friend who farmed. I
listened to his stories, visited him when I could and marveled over his ability
to tackle tasks he had no formal training for.
The element of farming that intrigued me most was the farmer’s ability to plow a
straight row. So I asked my friend the question I never had my grandfathers. His
answer; “Pick out a point and head straight for it.” So I did. When I reached
the end of the row and looked back the row was actually straight. But had I
looked back at my beginning point while moving forward, the results would have
been different.
The same principle applies in a garden when using a tiller or hand plow. I know
because I’ve tried it. As Jesus listened to those who claimed to want to follow
him yet made excuses why they couldn’t, he concluded, "No
one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the
kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62 NIV). We’ll get a crooked
row every time.
Jesus spoke to an audience familiar with farming, but the admonition transfers
into the most technological fields. Plowing in one direction while looking in
another reflects a lack of determination, and a lack of this will result in
crooked finances, relationships, investments, and perhaps most devastating,
crooked spiritual focus.
I’ve determined my relationship with Christ is the most important field I plow,
and when this is fertilized properly and tended regularly, the straight rows
will abound with sturdy spiritual fruit. God can enable the row to reach our
focal point.
Prayer: Merciful Father, when we’re tempted to look at where we’ve been, train
our eyes to focus on where we’re going.
Martin Wiles mandmwiles@homesc.com
Harleyville, South Carolina, USA
www.morningliteministry.com