The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures, the emu, a
flightless bird, and the kangaroo. The animals were chosen because they
share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both
the emu and the kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu’s
three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the
kangaroo is preventing from moving in reverse by its large tail. Those
who truly choose to follow Jesus should try to be like the emu and the
kangaroo, moving only forward, never back.
Jesus is quoted in Luke 9:62, But Jesus said to him, “No one, after
putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
God.” Like everything we do in life, if we turn our heads to look
backward, we stray to one side or the other. Have you ever been driving
when something caught your eye and you turned you head to see what it
was and before you know it, you're drifting out of your lane? It's a
scary situation, especially if it's one of our narrow country roads here
in Texas. You quickly try to correct the direction you are going so
that you're headed straight down the road again.
As a Christian,
we must always focus on what's ahead of us, not what is to the side or
behind. The devil is trying to distract us from our eternal goal, he
wants us to be condemned to hell where he will rule over us. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14, saying, "Brethren, I do not
regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I
press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus." We must be like Paul, realizing we haven't achieved our
goal of a Heavenly home, so we MUST forget what is behind us, reaching
toward the ultimate goal of the "upward call of God".
Things in
life can easily distract us. One of the things that I observed while in
education, was the increase on the lack of attention spans in students,
which was often attributed to ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder). I fear that many Christians are affected by a spiritual ADHD
because we let the world distract us from our duties as Christians. I've
heard people say that they are not entertained enough so there's no
reason to attend church services. My question is, What is more
entertaining to a Christian than worshiping our God through the song
service, prayers, fellowship and Bible study? My answer is there should
be NOTHING that is more enjoyable than for a Christian to participate in
worshiping God Almighty and His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ.
My
encouragement to you and me is to be like the emu and kangaroo, "ONLY
FORWARD!" 1 Corinthians 9:24 "Do you not know that those who run in a
race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that
you may win." To win, is to move forward, to move forward is to win! We
are not in a race with each other but we are in a race against the world
and the devil, to win this race, is to reach eternal life.
Strive each day to walk "In the Narrow Way."
