Ready:
"But Jesus said to him, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'"
-Luke 9:62
Set:
Sean Payton's first head coaching job in the NFL didn't appear to be all that promising. After all, he inherited a New Orleans Saints team that went 3-13 in 2005 and that doesn't exactly have a rich tradition of being an NFL powerhouse. Regardless, Payton came in and implemented his system, and the players bought in to it, leading to an improbable 10-6 record in 2006 and a division title. "Players putting the team ahead of everything else," Payton said. "I think that's the biggest thing that we've been able to do to date. That's what's most important."
Following Jesus halfheartedly is like saying you're a skydiver when you've actually never jumped out of a plane. You may have all the right equipment, know the language and even hang out with skydivers, but you're not really a skydiver until you have jumped off a plane in mid-flight. To be a skydiver you can't have one foot in and one foot out. You are either in the plane or in the air, and once you're out, going back is not an option.
If we want to be on Jesus' team we must be willing to sacrifice personal agendas for His cause (Luke 9:23), and we must follow Him unreservedly (Luke 9:62). This is a difficult road to follow (Matthew 7:14) and one that will bring about trials (John 16:33), but when we realize our destiny apart from a relationship with God it should cause us to passionately follow the road anyway. It's the only road that leads to eternal life.
I encourage you to have the commitment of a skydiver when following Jesus, jump out of the plane and trust Him to help you safely arrive at your destination.
Go:
1. As a competitor, how have you seen "buy-in" or a lack of it affect teams?
2. Using the skydiving illustration, where do you see yourself (In the plane, in the air, etc.)? Why?
3. How has your commitment to Jesus been tested?
Workout:
Matthew 7:13-23
Matthew 10:32-39
John 6:60-69