March 11: No One Who Puts His Hand to the Plow
"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
-Luke 9:62,
The Call to Commitment
Have you ever started something with incredible enthusiasm, only to find yourself looking back, second-guessing, and slowly drifting away? That initial fire dims to embers, and you wonder where that passion went. What if your spiritual journey feels the same way?
We live in a world of half-measures. We dip our toes in the water instead of diving deep. We sample faith like appetizers at a buffet. I've been there—committed to following Christ on Sunday, but by Wednesday, the world has pulled me in ten different directions.
🔥 We set our hands to the kingdom work, but our gaze drifts backward to comfort, to familiarity, to what we think we're missing.
🔥 And in that backward glance, we lose sight of what's ahead.
Jesus spoke directly to this human tendency when He said in Luke 9:62, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." These aren't casual words—they're a divine line drawn in the sand.
The image is powerful: a farmer cannot plow a straight furrow while looking backward. Every backward glance creates a crooked line, compromising the entire field.
Our spiritual lives work the same way. Half-hearted commitment produces half-hearted results. God doesn't ask for perfection, but He does ask for our whole hearts.
What Wholehearted Commitment Looks Like:
✅ Making decisions today that honor your covenant with Christ tomorrow ✅ Choosing the difficult right over the easy wrong ✅ Being intentional with your time, resources, and relationships
It doesn't mean you won't stumble—you will. But when you do, you get back up with your eyes fixed forward.
Start Small, Grow Strong
Begin with daily acts of faithfulness:
Read Scripture before checking social media
Pray before making decisions
Serve others even when it's inconvenient
These seemingly small choices build spiritual momentum. They train your heart and mind to face forward, to keep your hand firmly on the plow. And with each faithful step, the furrow gets straighter, the path clearer.
The Extraordinary Transformation
When we commit wholeheartedly to Christ, something extraordinary happens: 1️⃣ The scattered pieces of our lives begin to align 2️⃣ A profound peace comes with undivided devotion 3️⃣ A clarity of purpose simplifies even complex decisions
You'll find yourself:
Less swayed by cultural currents
Less anxious about opinions
More anchored in truth
This doesn't mean life becomes easier, but it does become more meaningful: 💫 Your relationships deepen 💫 Your work finds purpose 💫 Your struggles gain context
You begin to see your story as part of God's greater narrative.
Take Action Today
Identify one area where you've been looking back while trying to move forward:
Name it
Acknowledge it
Make one concrete decision to face forward fully
Maybe it's forgiving someone who hurt you. Maybe it's recommitting to a spiritual discipline you've neglected. Whatever it is, share it in the comments below—accountability is powerful.
The Cost of Looking Back
What's the most expensive thing you've ever purchased? A home? A car? Education? Now let me ask you this—what's the most expensive thing you've never purchased because you couldn't fully commit? What opportunity slipped through your fingers because you couldn't stop looking over your shoulder?
⚠️ Divided commitment is costly. It drains our energy, fragments our focus, and dilutes our effectiveness.
We try to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom, and we end up doing neither well. I've seen:
Relationships crumble because someone couldn't fully invest
Businesses fail because owners hedged their bets
Spiritual transformation stall because people wanted transformation without surrender
The reality is, our backward glances aren't harmless—they're sabotage. They're the subtle compromise that says, "I want what's ahead, but I'm not ready to release what's behind."
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Faith
Ancient farmers understood something we modern Christians often miss: momentum matters. When plowing a field, every hesitation, every backward glance created a ripple effect that compromised the entire harvest. Their livelihood depended on their focus.
Our spiritual lives are no different. When Jesus used the plowing metaphor, He wasn't suggesting commitment—He was demanding it. Because He knew:
The harvest of our lives depends on it
Divided hearts produce divided lives
Divided lives rarely bear the fruit they were designed to bear
Breaking the Habit of Backward Glances
This requires both vision and practice:
1️⃣ Develop a Compelling Vision
Study the promises of God
Meditate on the inheritance that awaits faithful believers
Cultivate relationships with forward-focused Christians
2️⃣ Practice Intentional Detachment
This doesn't mean denying your past—it means refusing to be defined by it. It means:
Making peace with what was so you can embrace what could be
Sometimes making difficult breaks from relationships or environments that pull your gaze backward
3️⃣ Create Practical Reminders
Place Scripture verses where you'll see them daily
Establish accountability with trusted friends
Create rhythms of worship and prayer that orient your heart toward God's kingdom
The Freedom of Forward Focus
When you stop dividing your loyalties between what was and what could be, you'll discover a freedom you never thought possible: ✨ Your spiritual senses sharpen ✨ Your discernment deepens ✨ You begin to see opportunities you would have missed with divided focus
There's a holy momentum that builds in the life of someone who refuses to look back:
Each forward step becomes easier than the last
Decisions that once seemed impossible become natural
You find yourself less tempted by old patterns, more drawn to kingdom purposes
What began as discipline transforms into desire
The Fruit of Forward Focus
Have you ever met someone who radiates single-minded purpose? There's something magnetic about them, isn't there? They possess a clarity most people only dream about.
What if that kind of focus and purpose could be yours? What if the secret isn't superhuman discipline but simply keeping your eyes fixed in one direction?
We live in an age of chronic distraction: 📱 Notifications buzz 🔄 Options multiply 😨 Fears whisper
And in the midst of it all, our spiritual focus splinters. We start strong on Monday with fresh commitments, but by Thursday, we're scattered and uncertain.
Our culture celebrates:
Having it all
Keeping our options open
Never fully committing to anything
But this approach leaves us spiritually malnourished—gathering surface-level experiences while missing the deep nourishment of rooted faith.
The Plowman's Wisdom
A good harvest requires unwavering attention to the field ahead, not the ground already covered. The plowman who keeps looking back creates:
Chaos in what should be order
Confusion in what should be clarity
This agricultural principle reveals a profound spiritual truth: our focus determines our future.
When we fix our eyes on Christ and His kingdom without the constant backwards glances, something powerful begins to happen:
The scattered pieces of our lives begin to align around a single, unifying purpose
The noise dims
The path clarifies
The distractions lose their power
Developing Forward Focus: Daily Practices
👉 Examine What Captures Your Attention
Your calendar and bank statements tell the truth about your priorities. Are they aligned with kingdom values or scattered across competing loyalties?
👉 Create Concrete Reminders of What Lies Ahead
The biblical heroes of faith "saw the promises from a distance" and let that vision pull them forward.
What promises are you living toward?
What heavenly realities shape your earthly choices?
👉 Find Your Forward-Thinking Community
Surround yourself with fellow forward-thinkers
Find people who challenge your backward glances and celebrate your forward steps
Join a community where kingdom focus is the norm, not the exception
👉 Practice Regular Remembrance
Not to dwell in the past, but to fuel confidence in the future. The God who has been faithful will continue to be faithful as you press ahead with undivided heart.
The Abundant Harvest
The fruit of forward focus is abundant and life-giving: 🌱 A growing sense of purpose that transcends circumstances 🌱 Simpler decisions because your priorities are clearer 🌱 Deeper relationships because your love isn't divided 🌱 A flourishing spiritual life because your roots grow deeper rather than spreading thin
Most importantly, you begin to experience God's presence more consistently. Not because He wasn't there before, but because your attention is no longer fractured:
You notice His movement
You hear His voice
You recognize His guidance with increasing clarity
The joy that Jesus promised—complete joy—becomes your reality.
Your Forward Focus Challenge
Today, take a "forward focus inventory":
What deserves your focused attention that you've been giving only partial commitment?
Where is God calling you to plant both feet firmly in His kingdom?
Write it down and commit to one week of undivided attention in that area
Share your commitment in the comments below. Let this community hold you accountable and celebrate your steps forward.
Remember, the kingdom path isn't about perfect performance—it's about persistent direction. Keep your hand on the plow, your eyes on what lies ahead, and watch how God transforms your life one faithful step at a time.
If this message helped you, please like and share it with others who might be struggling with divided commitment. Your simple click helps these devotionals reach others who are seeking to deepen their commitment to Christ. 🙏
An Invitation to go Deeper….
If today’s message spoke to you, join the FaithLabz 30-Day Prayer Challenge and strengthen your connection with God’s unshakable love. You are never alone—let’s grow together!
