Pursuing the Plans and Purposes of God
Part 39 - Luke 9:51-62 (ESV) - Pastor Tim Kroeker
Philippians 3:13b-14:
“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
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To be single-minded is to have only one purpose, goal, or interest. Like a young man who has fallen madly in love, she is all that he can think about. His buddies get annoyed because he used to always be down for a game of pick-up basketball. But now, he wants to spend his free time on the weekends with her. He’ll even go shopping and watch romantic movies. He picks up extra hours at work because he’s saving for a ring. The future suddenly comes into focus, because whatever plans and dreams he might have, she’s in them.
This single-mindedness isn’t burdensome. He doesn’t pursue the love of his life begrudgingly. Rather, it flows from the heart. That doesn’t mean it’s effortless. In fact, as he’s gotten to know her more intimately than any other person on the planet he’s discovered many differences. But, part of the pursuit has been working through those differences and learning to appreciate them.
Perhaps you might agree that if this young man were not single-minded in his devotion to overcome even the obstacles, that young lady should probably move along.
As we continue on in our salvation story we come to the second act in Luke’s Gospel. After ministering throughout the northern region of Galilee, we read that Jesus resolutely heads south towards Jerusalem to pursue the redemptive plan and purpose of his Heavenly Father. There were some who wished to go with him. But, we’ll see that following Jesus requires single-mindedness of us all.
