Burn Your Ships

Over the years, I have been writing down a few one-liners from movies I have seen. There are enough of them now that I think I could compose a message, or two, from them. (Of course, I would have to spiritualize them, but then, that would be the point).

Today, as I attended a local ministers' breakfast, some lines from a movie kept coming repeatedly to mind. Many of you are familiar with the movie, "The Hunt for Red October". To those who aren't, let me set the stage a bit. Sean Connery plays a Russian submarine admiral who is in command of the latest/greatest, most stealthy of nuclear subs so technically advanced that it can run virtually undetected. However, he and his officers intend to hijack the craft and defect to the USA. After his plan is put in motion, he is sitting at mess (dining) with his officers and he makes this statement (the one that kept coming to me this morning): "There will be no going back. When he reached the new world, Cortez burned his ships. As a result, his men were well motivated."..........Think about it....sound familiar.

The parable of the sower speaks of four types of ground (hearts). The first two are so hard and shallow that nothing sown can live. We know the fourth is good ground and bears fruit. But the third , sadly, is like unto many people today. The seed (God's word, plan and life) is sown and received, but the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. God is calling to many hearts in this hour. Many are responding. Many people realize they need change in their lives and are seeing the hand of God produce change. God genuinely responds to a sincere heart. God has produced change in and for many and blessed many lives. Many lives have been transformed from negative, hopeless, meaningless circumstances to that which has promise, hope and substance. When he reached the new world, Cortez burned his ships. God is speaking, in this hour, to not look back.

After the Israelites had been delivered from 400 years of oppressive captivity in Egypt by many powerful works and miracles of God and tired of the manna they were fed in the wilderness, they began to look back. "Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord, for the Lord heard it, and his anger was aroused....so the children of Israel also wept again and said, Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and garlic."(Numbers 11). You know the story. These same people delivered from so great a captivity by such mighty works looked back...back to the leeks and garlic of Egypt....and so, consequently, wandered in the desert, homeless and unfruitful, for forty years. They didn't burn their ships.

We are in no different a situation in blessed America today. Having come this far, will you, will we be taken captive by the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches? Will we look back and fall back? Will we forget 9/11? Do we have to repeat that lesson, to hear that wake-up call again? We need to burn our ships. Those things that would take us back to where we once were must be put away....we must press on in Him.
"But Jesus said....No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9.62).


Note: For those who are 'historically challenged' (slept through history class), Cortez was a Spanish conquistador who was sent to colonize the new world (Americas) in the sixteenth century.


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