Looking Back

"No man, having put his hands to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:27). 

Almost in every book in the Bible God has dropped a word of warning against "looking back." We are all quite familiar with the awful judgment that befell Lot's wife as a result of looking back. At this "looking-back station" lies the secret of many a joyless, powerless life, of many a lukewarm, fainthearted, non-victorious Christian life. If our eyes were opened to behold the things unseen, no doubt we would see the bones of millions who were wrecked on this disastrous rock.

You will notice, He does not say, "He that goeth back," but he that looketh back is not fit for the kingdom of God.

Let us notice some inward defects that "looking back" reveals. First, it reveals a break in the affection. The affection is the first thing that God demands of mankind. His first injunction is, "Give me thine heart." Hence, for us to love any creature or thing more than we do Him, makes us idolaters.

Suppose a man coming home from his daily occupation should find his wife sitting in a corner of the room quite gloomy and sad, and on being asked what the trouble was, she would answer as follows: "I am grieving because I did not marry Martin Hopkins rather than you, and I daily yearn to be in his society again." How do you suppose this husband would feel after receiving such a message Well, this is just the way people treat Jesus when they look back and hanker for the forbidden things of the world. What saith the scripture-"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (Jas. 4:4).

The second thing "looking back" reveals is, a greater desire for the things behind than for the things in front. It would make a man feel quite badly to hear his wife make the remark that she wished she was back home with her parents or back with her first husband. Well, this is what you say to Jesus by looking back.

Let us now notice some of the many ways of looking back.

1. Grieving and fretting over what we had to give up and renounce to become Christians is downright looking back.

2. For us to regret the fact that we have received great light, and in a roundabout way wish that we never had met the preacher or people, or read the book or paper, that shone it upon us, is "looking back."

3. If you secretly wish the Bible did not condemn that certain thing, but left it possible for you to do it and at the same time retain the favor of God, is a sure indication that you have got your eye on something in the background. How about this Paul says, "Be content with such things as ye have" (Heb. 13: 5).

4. If you to any degree regret the fact that you renounced the lodge, the church policies, the picnics, the skating rink, the dance halls, etc., you are looking back.

5. If you are becoming dissatisfied with the plain, simple, Holy Ghost preaching, and have a secret desire for oratorical, polished, sugar-coated preaching, you are surely looking back. Again, if you are becoming dissatisfied with the ordinary deep spiritual singing and are hankering for classical, operatic, sentimental songs, i. e., songs that tickle the ear but leave the heart cold, you are not only looking back but gone back.