Luke 9:62 says, “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
These words Jesus spoke to three men who considered following Him. He required of them a total commitment. The call was urgent. Come now!
It was spring break of my freshman year at college. My grandpa (Old Pop) found me a job plowing for a farmer. I had to hitchhike, but got there quickly. Herald Stein was getting ready to plant peas. The planting had to be done on the exact days the field man for the cannery required. It was critical for the plowing to be done immediately, so the plowing had to go on 24 hours a day.
Herald plowed all day. He needed me to plow all night. He had me start at 6:00 in the evening. I had never run a Cat or plowed before, but he patiently explained everything to me. It was cold out, and the tractor did not have a cab. It had warming canvases to help keep the hot air from the engine blowing on me. It was a large field—it took over an hour to make one round. I quickly had the hang of it. It got dark soon, so I turned on the lights. After awhile, I didn’t know where I was. I could tell when I had made another round because the lights of the town were off to the east.
Morning finally came. Herald was pleased. The tractor really did the work. All I had to do was stay with it all night.
In following Jesus, it is important to stay with it. It pays off over and over again. Our faith is often tried in the dark hours of life. The disciples rowed in the night getting nowhere. Praise God, Jesus found them rowing. We may want to give up on our marriage, our job, our education, or other things that seemed like a good idea when we started out.
The first man that Jesus talked with was anxious to follow Him. “I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest,” he said (Luke 9:57). Jesus told him to count the cost. The next two men couldn’t go immediately.
When we follow Jesus, we will step from our old life into a new life. We must forsake that old life and go forward with him. When things look dark, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and the direction He is leading us.
When it looks hard, take a stronger grip on His hand.
Eleazar was the second of David’s top three warriors. He knew what a grip was. When the other soldiers left off fighting the Philistines and went home, he stayed. “He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil” (II Samuel 23:10.) He gripped the sword until his hand cramped onto it. Now that’s a grip!
I like to watch bull riders prepare for their ride. They take a leather strap and tie their hand to the collar on the bull. They tie it tight. Sometimes after they are bucked off, their hand is still tied in place. They can’t let go. The bull throws them around. The pickup men have to help them get loose.
Jesus will see us through. We must take a grip!
