Kingdom fitness requires forfeiting a curiosity about what was left behind …

On a few occasions, I’ve sat and listened to some professing Christians sitting together telling stories of their pre-Christian years. For most, it’s a tale of a sin-laden life they rejoice in being freed from.

But for a few, it’s different.

There have been some odd moments listening to some who regale their friends with stories of strident sin told as if those were “the good old days.” I got a sense that if God would allow them to return to such debauchery, they would do so in the blink of an eye!

But the former life of sin is NOT the “good old days,” and honestly, to be fit for kingdom living, we have to forfeit any remnants of curiosity of what it would be like if we could just have one more round of raucousness. Jesus said that this way:

“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.

How can a peek back be so troublesome? Kind of like this …

In May 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man ever to run a mile in under four minutes. But the following month, Australian John Landy beat Bannister’s record by 1.4 seconds. A showdown was inevitable, and in August of that year, the two athletes met for a momentous race at Vancouver, Canada. Bannister and Landy were well in front of the pack as they went into the last lap. Slightly in front of Bannister, Landy looked like he was going to win. But as he approached the finish line, he started to wonder: Where is Bannister? His need to know was so strong that he couldn’t resist the temptation to look over his shoulder. And just as he did, he lost his stride. Bannister raced past him and broke the tape. Later, Landy said, “If I hadn’t looked back, I would have won the race.”

For the Apostle Paul, having attained a new citizenship in the kingdom of God meant there was nothing of worth to look back to:

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith,” Philippians 3:7-9.

Instead of stoking any curiosity of what lies behind in the former life, the author of Hebrews exhorts us to keep our eyes fixed forward:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith …” Hebrews 12:1-2a.

Have you fixed your eyes forward on Jesus? Or are you fostering a curiosity of what lies behind? You can’t live a kingdom life looking back with a longing for sin.

Scotty