Being a disciple of Jesus requires faith. I’m not just talking about a mental ascent to the idea that Jesus died for our sin. I’m talking about a trust in the lifestyle recommendations that Jesus makes. Discipleship is NOT affirming a set of doctrines. No, the word discipleship implies becoming like the teacher. In biblical times, a rabbi’s disciple would try to mimic everything his teacher did. The aim was to speak like his rabbi, respond to situations like his rabbi, even carry himself like his rabbi. If Jesus is our teacher then that is the invitation. All this requires trust, doesn’t it? It demands that we truly believe that the rabbi’s way of living is a good way of living. Not just good in general but good for you. Practically, it requires that we don’t ascribe to other methods of living; there just isn’t time for multiple. A sacrificing of other options is involved.

Somewhere along the way, the lifestyle of the rabbi requires more and more time and intention. We begin to run out of time and energy for other pursuits. It’s at that moment that we have the greatest faith leap of all. Is this rabbi’s way of life worth giving up other ways of life? Many have decided that it is but their abandonment to the way cannot cause yours. At some point we all must decide to burn the bridges that lead us back to other options. We must put all our eggs in one basket and say “Jesus, you have convinced me that your way is the best way and I’m all in.”

Watch this video and contemplate where you are at in that journey. Tell God about it in prayer.

Video: Burn the Ships by For King and Country: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOVrOuKVBuY

Don’t judge where you are at, just acknowledge it. God already knows anyway. If you are all in, there is still a journey ahead, new ground to cover. If you aren’t, keep experimenting with his way. Is Jesus right about life? I suspect that, if you try it out in your real life for long enough, you will see that it is worth burning the ships and never going back to any other way.

By Aaron Bjorklund 

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