Listen to Devotion

“I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Imagine a man stranded on an island. He’s lost all hope of survival. He’s as good as dead. Then someone comes to his rescue. Once he realizes he’s saved, he climbs aboard and doesn’t look back.

That’s the way it is with a person who follows Jesus. Jesus has rescued them from death and despair. They are no longer stranded and without hope. So, they follow Jesus and don’t look back.

This is the lesson Jesus wanted to teach a man who wanted to follow him. The man said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back…” It’s as though he said to Jesus, his only lifeline, “I want to follow you, but first things first!” As though something else should come first and foremost. Jesus cautioned against the dangers of looking back and returning to a place where the man would be stranded once again and without hope and salvation.

Please don’t misunderstand Jesus. He’s not saying you must forsake your family to follow him. But he cautions against forsaking him for anything in this world, even family. An unbelieving family member may discourage a Christian from following Jesus. The Christian could be tempted to put a family’s approval above Jesus. For Christian families, the temptation could be, “We need to spend quality time together rather than going to church and hearing God’s Word.”

We don’t have to separate following Jesus from family. If you are part of a family, you can follow Jesus together and find meaningful, quality time together in his Word. You need not look back and regret what else you could have done instead. If you’re single or the only member of your family who is a believer, remember that the Church is like a family where you find the assurance of forgiveness and encouragement from other Christians.

Commitment to Christ allows us to look forward. Jesus has saved us and will never desert us. We need not look back on all that life could have been. We look forward to all that life will be now and for eternity.

Lord, by your Spirit, may I commit my life to you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.