No Turning Back

Sometimes I remember an old song we used to sing. It was called ‘I Have Decided to Follow Jesus’.
The first verse went ‘I have decided to follow Jesus (x 3), no turning back, no turning back’. The second verse went, ‘the world behind me, the cross before me (x 3), no turning back, no turning back.
The third verse went ‘though none go with me, I still will follow (x 3), no turning back, no turning back’. Sometimes we sang a fourth verse – ‘will you decide now to follow Jesus? (x 3), no turning back, no turning back’.
This song always reminded me of the commitment I had made to Jesus. It was as though I was making that commitment again. It could be costly and challenging, and maybe lonely at times, yet there would be no turning from it.
The song took its inspiration from the call of Jesus to follow. At the end of Luke chapter 9 there is a little passage about the ‘would-be’ followers of Jesus. These people said ‘yes, Lord, I will follow, but first…’ It was the ‘but first’ that was the problem. They had other things to attend to and they missed their opportunity.
Jesus concludes that section by saying, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (v62). No turning back..
“Life is busy!” is a common refrain. Life gets filled up with different agendas, expectations and demands upon our time. We want to follow Jesus, ‘but first’ there are all these other things we need to attend to. We will come later, when we have time.
Let’s make Jesus our priority and put the other things of life around that. What does it look like to make Jesus first and other things second? Will we risk disappointing others or failing to meet their expectations or demands? Are you prepared for that?
Putting Jesus first is the call to be a disciple in every age. No turning back. How does that look for you right now?