Decisiveness is the fulcrum of true discipleship. Luke says that Jesus “resolutely set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) He’s about four months away from Calvary and the language that Luke employs emphatically illustrates our Lord’s decisiveness in seeing His mission through to the end. It’s more about His state of mind and not a geographical change. It has nothing to do with His checking MapQuest or getting a TripTik from Triple A. He knew who He was, what He was called for, and nothing was going to get in His way.
A few verses down, He encounters three would-be disciples. He says to each of them, “Decide!” Me? Or the world? Me? Or your will? Me? Or your level of comfortability? In each case they chose what was behind Door Number Two and left satisfied with that.
He says that a true disciple is one who has set his hand to the plow, or, in Elisha’s case burned the plow (see 1 Kings 19:21). Jesus set His face (“like flint”, Isaiah 50:7) to Jerusalem and we are to set our hand to the plow. Plowing is about harvest, and in the succeeding verses, Jesus sent out the seventy with this pep talk: “Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send more plowers into the field.” Some plant, some plow, some water…but the Lord gets His beautiful harvest!
Our Lord cannot use scribes (the first guy) who are worried about looking foolish to their rich buddies when they are found sleeping in caves or under bridges “for a carpenter” instead of their large-mortgage house. He cannot use the ‘I’ll catch up with you down the road but right now I have a lot of personal stuff to iron out’ candidates (the second guy). The call is NOW. And there’s the plow! And He will pass over those who waver between two worlds and the Lord knows this world will usually win out (the third guy).
The call is NOW. And there’s the plow.
Who are the harvesters? Who are the ones “pressing into the Kingdom” (Luke 16:16)? They are people who will empty their entire life savings at His feet even though the religious tell them every reason why they shouldn’t. They are people who will walk away from a lucrative career because their life and livelihood is in His hands. People who will drop the nets at their feet, leaving every security behind because they see the Greater Incentive, a Treasure you cannot refuse.
We need to be more decisive than ever in these changing times. Before I finished that last sentence I was interrupted by a call from someone I know who just won over $20,000 in the lottery tonight. Isn’t that ironic? The world will do stuff like that for us—anything to keep us from treasuring Christ. Anything to keep us from pressing in, pressing on or setting our hand to the plow. Tragically, the third certainty of life—after death and taxes—is that twenty grand’ll be gone in a few days, weeks or months.
Then what?
Decisively pressing in means fighting against that twinge that says, “man, I wish that had happened to me.” It means being unimpressed by what the world offers because you know nothing can compare to the richness of knowing about a Greater-than-all Treasure and going after it.
There’s the plow. It may look worn, earthy, scarred and rusty, but it’s Who you set your affection on at the far end of the field that really matters.
I hear God now! I have heard this on my heart this week, and a motivator to press in, and continue to die to self. I think as Americans we think we can plow with one hand when it takes two, and we think we can abandon it when it works…Luke 9:62 “no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God”. Yup! thats the motivator..
Thanks for sharing!
Is this a preamble? 🙂
Hello…hello hello…slight echo in here…wonder where my pasturescott is??mmmmmmmm
well no matter…God knows exactly where you are. Praying for you, and thanking God for your post…awesome!
Happy Fathers Day! hope you are having a good one!
missing you! hope you are well, and will soon post again. Saying a prayer for you and your family. Love and prayers, your sister in Christ
Yes I am persistent!, and I do miss you, and I am praying and telling the LOrd that you seem to be lost..so where ever you are and what ever you are experiencing..I am praying that He will bend down and give you a special touch…you are loved!
“It means being unimpressed by what the world offers because you know nothing can compare to the richness of knowing about a Greater-than-all Treasure and going after it.”
Wow, amazing. More and more we need to seperate from this world and truly understand what it means to be in it and not a part of it. Thank you for this, and uh, after looking at the date, I hope all is well and you will be back soon!
🙂
Helllooooooooooooo 🙂
still love you even if you have forgotten us…saying a prayer for you..your sister in Christ
I miss you
Also the natural next question is: ‘What’s if Worth?’
Missing you so much! wish you would come back 🙁
YUP! almost 4 months…and I still miss you! Brother I am praying for you…hoping you just got sick of us, and nothing is wrong. Love you brother..Your sister in Christ, Darla
Okay..I like even numbers…and I am still pestering to hear something from you. Love you brother, and sending up a prayer for you!
I have to admit I had to read this a couple of times. It’s inspiring though. Thanks
Theres been a lot of water under the bridge since June when the original post was written. In just a few months, the world has been turned upside down. And I do mean the world. More violence against Christians in India is just a sample of the things that are coming. More economic crisis in Europe and Asia, is just the tip of the iceberg.
As for me, I want to be found by my Lord to be plowing in his field when he returns. Regardless of what that might mean for me or mine, I want to be found to be at work and not idle.
Good words Scott.
“Decisively pressing in means fighting against that twinge” could not have said it better. Thanks for such an excellent post!
Great blog, thanks for sharing! Will pass this on to friends
Hefty thanks to you Photo! So appreciate the stop-in and am grateful for your sharing these meager expressions with others. The LORD reigns, always has, always will! May you be blessed today…