When Christ called you, you left the old world behind – don’t look back.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a little history lesson today.
Because history is a favorite subject for me, and for my husband Ken, given that he taught high school history for decades. Anyway, the other day he was telling me about the conquistadors who conquered Central and South America. There was one particular story that really intrigued me. In 1519, Captain Hernándo Cortés and a small army left the Spanish island of Cuba and set out on one of the greatest conquests in the history of the world. Cortés was going to accomplish his goals, no matter what the consequences. And to test the commitment of his army, when Cortés landed at Veracruz, he ordered his men to burn all the boats – burn every single one of them. He wanted them to understand that there was no going back. There would be no retreat. There would be no turning around and heading back for the Old World. No, they were in the New World now, and Cortés wanted them to understand the measure of commitment that that required.
Now, even though a few of the historical details are debated, and even though you may not agree with Cortés’ conquests, you’ve got to admit he took his mission very seriously. And that’s what intrigued me when Ken shared this story, because it reminded me how seriously Jesus took his mission when he told his disciples, “Follow me.” I mean, look it up in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. It was one thing that Jesus repeated when he called Peter, James, John, Philip, Levi the tax collector, and all the others; he said, “Follow me.” Don’t look back; don’t say you want to go first bury your dead or try out the oxen you just purchased; don’t attempt to return and say goodbye to your family, no, rather, follow me. And then for emphasis, Jesus adds in Luke 9:62, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus couldn’t have made it any clearer. Those words “Follow me” carry such a strong, serious sense of mission. Today, though, in our age of easy believe-ism, when Jesus says, “Follow me,” to us, we think he’s saying, “You know, friend, try following me two or three days a week, and see how it feels, you know, see if it works for you. And if it does, you know, you can get a little more serious and stretch it to four days a week.” Now most of us would not admit that, but that’s the way we follow Christ. We follow him incrementally. Well, guess what: once you believe, once you put your hand to the plow, you don’t follow Jesus in little increments – you know, bit by bit, testing the waters, seeing if you can handle it; seeing if you can keep a little of the old life while exploring the new. It doesn’t work that way. Christian friend, you have left the old world behind. And the mission required to usher in the new world on this dark and broken planet requires consummate obedience to the call.
And so, this week, flip through the Gospels and study how Jesus called his disciples. Read how seriously he took his mission – and how seriously he conveyed the call to his followers – and then, shed any and all trappings from your old way of living; disentangle yourself from every bad habit; then turn and follow your Lord. In short, burn your boats. Don’t leave one of them standing. Burn them all. You are a follower of Jesus, friend, so don’t look over your shoulder at the old world. The new one is so much better and brighter with Jesus leading the way.
Finally, I want to thank this station for granting me these precious minutes in which I can share hope through your hardship every day. And I do pray you’ve found my words hopeful today.
© Joni and Friends