ESOCS Devotional 5 March 2026 – Beware of Kingdom Commitment Distractions
MEMORY VERSE: “But Jesus told him, anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 NLT
TEXT: LUKE 9:51-62
51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
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In our walk with the Lord as touching the Kingdom project, distractions and distractive forces or elements abound. These are packages from the pit of hell aimed at causing us to fail. Let’s take heed to ourselves, and be watchful, and prayerful, lest we derail.
In our text today, Luke highlights three glaring examples of such distractions. The first refers to the rejection and embarrassment meted out to Jesus by the Samaritans (vv. 53, 54). On the tendency of James and John to retaliate, the Master cautioned that they should realize that the spirit of retaliation was actually the spirit of the world. He warned that vengeance belongs to God only (Psalms 94:1). Every disciple must understand that they, as Jesus, should be concerned about seeking and saving the lost, and not to be influenced by the spirit of distraction, and/or destruction.
Secondly, anyone who has decided to follow Jesus must first count the cost of following Him. In verse 57, the man who declared his interest to follow Jesus, must be prepared for discomfort. He must be prepared for the enormous sacrifice associated with following the Master.
The third instance refers to the man in verses 59-60. The man asked for permission to go attend to a family responsibility before committing himself. On this, Jesus taught that those who follow Him must put the Kingdom business before family responsibilities, and relationships. Working with Jesus requires looking forward ever, and not giving room to any form of distraction, whatsoever. Jesus insists that those who look back are not of the nature that is demanded in the Kingdom assignment.
Moreover, when one looks back, he is questioning his faith in the Lord who has called him. The Kingdom business must supersede that which is of the world (Matthew 6:31-34; 2 Timothy 4:10). Moreover, one cannot trust in God and the Kingdom business, while at the same time he looks back to care about the things of this world. Beware!
Reflections
- Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness; other things will follow naturally.
Prayer
- Our Father, our God, let the grace of Jesus continually speak in my life.
Further Reading: Isaiah 53:7-12; Hosea 2:2-15; 1 Corinthians 14:16-39.
ESOCS Devotional 5 March 2026
