Luke 9:51 “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”
Jesus knew that heading to Jerusalem meant going to the cross. Despite that he was resolute in obeying his Father. Even in the garden at Gethsemane, his anguished praying was not a wavering but an embracing of God’s costly will for his life. Back in Elijah’s day, the authorities were similarly antagonistic and God’s people similarly reticent in embracing the cost of loyalty to him. Elijah assembled the prophets of Baal and the people of Israel on Mount Carmel and challenged the latter: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). We read of Abraham’s resolute faith in Romans 4:20,21 “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”
Are you wavering today, or resolute and steadfast in your pursuit of Christ’s mission?
Juan Cortez was a Spanish military commander who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1529. His bold mission was the conquest of Mexico. So when he disembarked at Vera Cruz with seven hundred men, he promptly ordered them to set fire to the fleet of eleven ships. Then all seven hundred men watched as their only exit strategy sank in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. The only course of action left was to press on resolutely into the interior and fight for their commander.
Whatever we’re faced with in life, we can choose to do it with or without God. There are no guarantees that it’ll be easy – in fact Abraham, Elijah, and Jesus all show us that it will be costly. Count the cost today, and choose not to waver.
Lord, help me not to waver but to live resolutely surrendered to your cause today. Amen!
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