Pastor Andy Keltner

Look Ahead  

I was an adult and I had never plowed a field. One of the members of the church asked if I would like to learn to run his tractor. I like to try new things so I agreed. After I learned the controls of the tractor and how to lift the disc harrow out of the ground on the turns I began to work the ground.    I went around the outside of the field and the farmer told me to make one pass down the middle.   I kept looking back as I plowed the field to make sure the rows were straight.   After the first pass I had no straight furrows but squiggly lines. The farmer asked me: "What were you looking at."   I said I was looking back. He explained that you can never plow a straight furrow if you are looking back. The next time I went across the field, I picked out a hedge tree on the far side of the field. I resisted the urge to look back and as I turned the corner and started back across the field I noticed I had nice straight furrows to follow.

 

The lesson I learned is that you have to know where you are going if you want to get there. If I look back and hang on to past accomplishments and failures I can never get to where God wants me to be. Jesus is very stern with his disciples. In Luke 9:62 "Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." He is speaking to a man who asks that he be allowed to say goodbye to his family before he follows Jesus. Jesus calls us to look ahead focus on our calling to follow him wherever he would lead us.

 

St. Paul very clearly states in Philippians 3:13, 14: "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." He understands that we must have a goal. We must look ahead. Looking ahead keeps us focused. It keeps us from wandering away from God's truth. It keeps us going in the right direction. It is hard to forget what lies behind. Jesus tells one man to "let the dead bury the dead." Jesus is concerned about where we are going and not where we have been.

 

This might sound harsh because we would like to lift up our accomplishments and be lauded for our success.   The truth is this is grace. Jesus forgets what lies behind in our sinful lives. He does not judge us by our merits works or deeds. He declares us righteous and holy because he suffers and dies for our sinfulness. If we have nowhere to go, we will never get there.

 

I used to lead groups on challenge courses. There was a cable suspended above the ground that groups had to walk across. The cable was only about 10 foot long and was about 24 inches above the ground. It became a great stumbling block. In order to get across the cable you had to let go of one post and walk to the next post. I would watch groups get stuck at this point throughout the day. Then one young lady stepped on the cable and walked across it with minimal effort.   I asked her to share with the group how she was able to get across the cable. She said it was easy, all she had to do was to keep her eye on the far post and walk.

 

Jesus calls us to look ahead. He has prepared for us a final destination. He has called us to step out in faith and anticipate our eternal reward. What lies behind he has forgiven. What is in the future will be provided by God's grace. Look ahead.

 

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Come join in the fun at Louisburg Aquatic Center on Saturday, July 13 from 8pm-10pm. Sign-up at church or contact Gretchen Lee by July 1 (contact info below). Everyone is welcome to swim or just to visit, although one adult must accompany children. Bring a snack, dessert or drinks to share in the concession area. We will also be collecting donations for Blessings in a Backpack. Monetary donations are accepted as well as the following items---alphabet & chicken noodle soups, Spaghetti-O's, tuna, ramen noodles, instant oatmeal, Poptarts, granola bars, raisins, peanut butter or cheese crackers, popcorn, and applesauce. Contact Gretchen Lee at (913) 915-7712 or gretchenlee76@gmail.com with any questions. 

 

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Christ our Savior members sport their COS blue and clean up Ron Weers Park as a service to the community.  Watch for future clean up dates in the bulletin to join in giving a little community TLC.

 
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