A Song of Commitment

If you are like me, you have spent the weekend after Thanksgiving contemplating gifts for loved ones, and possibly gathering a few at sale price. Picking the perfect gift for each dear friend and family member drives me to great lengths because of my relationship with them. To be honest, though, not every gift given is picked out of love. Time, effort, and expense are usually based on the depth of relationship I have with the receiver. The closer the relationship, the more of myself is wrapped into the giving.

And then I considered the cost Jesus paid for me to have a relationship with Him. He poured out riches, honor, comfort, uncontainable glory, and His life to the very last drop of blood, to offer an eternal friendship with a sinner such as I. His offer of relationship with Him does come with a requirement. To follow Him requires nothing less than everything.

As I read through the book of Matthew this morning, I was struck by the many who followed Him, did miracles in His name, shared the great things that He had done for them with others, received the food that He miraculously offered, and then screamed, “Crucify Him.” One disciple followed Him for three years of ministry, seemingly all-in. However, he held back just one thing that he wanted more than Jesus, and it cost him everything.

Five parables in Matthew 13 speak of the mixture that fills the assemblies that speak His Name and claim to belong in His Kingdom. The first one, the Parable of the Sower, describes how His Word, the seed, is spread over different types of ground. The seed is then eaten by birds on the wayside, dried up on the rocks, or choked in the thorny ground, but a precious few will take root in good ground and bring forth fruit. Another parable describes how a field is planted with good seed, but the enemy plants weeds in the same field. The farmer waits until it all grows so that the good seed is not destroyed with the weeds. Other parables relate the seed growing with birds lodged in branches and yeast leavening bread, indicating the evil mixed into the good. In Jesus’s church, there will be many who look like the seed is planted in good ground. There will be many who follow Him with good intentions. Like my beginning illustration, there will be many who give Him gifts according to the depth of their relationship with Him, but it is still less than what He requires.

The closer His return draws near, the more difficult it will be to carry on halfway. Every person will face a crux that forces a choice. Little ones face us daily already. Will I spend time with Jesus today, or will I choose more time on social media? Will I share the Gospel with my neighbor, or will I choose silence? Will I be faithful to church, or will I choose a few more hours of sleep? It’s the little choices that pave the foundation for the big ones when they come.

There is a song I grew up singing in Sunday School. Do you know this chorus?

I recently learned the story behind this simple song. It is a chorus developed from the words of an early martyr of the missionary movement in India. The man was given a choice to stop following Jesus by the village chief or watch his family die. The man, named Nokseng, watched his two sons pierced by arrows, and replied, “I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning back, No turning back.”

Next, his wife was placed before him, and he was given the choice to recant. He replied, “Though no one joins me, still I will follow.” She, too, was killed.

Last, his own life was threatened, and still Nokseng would not give up his choice to follow Jesus. His last words were, “The world behind me, the cross before me; No turning back, no turning back.” He was killed, as well.  However, the chief was so amazed by the faith of Nokseng, that he chose to follow Jesus. The entire village followed suit, and the words spoken by Nokseng became a hymn of these believers. (True Story Behind The Hymn: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus | God TV News)

As you pour yourself into the gift-giving season, spend some time considering what you might be holding back from full surrender to this Savior who requires nothing less than everything. What thing would you hold back from Him if given the choice between following Him or keeping it for yourself? Determine this Christmas, that you are all-in. No turning back. No turning back.

Have a blessed week, my friends!

Erica B.