I Have Decided

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“I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me still I will follow. No turning back, no turning back.

The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back, no turning back.”

Every day we are overwhelmed with choices to make. Get up or “snooze”? Breakfast or just coffee? Coffee or tea? Jacket or sweater? (And yes, there’s a difference gentleman!) Highway or back roads? Fill up now or fill up later? Sleep or finish the project? Text or call? Go or stay? Cash or card? Yes or no?!

Some decisions we make so often that it almost becomes an automatic response; it’s like saying decaff with cream or a number 1 extra pickle. Sometimes our faith-life can be this monotonous. We have all the modern worship song lyrics memorized from singing them every week. We know what our church is doing at this exact moment even if we’re not there because we’ve done it so many times.  We hardly have to think when saying our evening prayer just from reciting it every night; and our Bible time? Yeah, it’s a chapter a day, every day we can fit it in; same old same old.

The passion and zeal that we should have with God has become no more meaningful than just a habit.

We should be ashamed. I, first among sinners, should be ashamed. I’ve allowed my day-to-day faith-life to become almost meaningless.

Do me a favor, please. Scroll back up to the top and reread the words in italics. You might recognize the song. You probably have heard it sung over and over since childhood. These few words simple, yet profound, are a strong proclamation to the world around us. Or at least they could be. Yesterday we sang this song in church. In church, people. With hands raised, I sang this song IN CHURCH. What kind of decision is that? What meaning do those words hold in an atmosphere of safe, like-minded, church-goers?

For one person, those words held all the meaning in the world.

No one is completely sure, and I guess no one ever will be, but there’s a story behind the origin of this song. Story goes, a man from India and his family converted to Christianity. The whole family became sold-out for Jesus, and the village chief didn’t like it. The chief went to them threatening death for all if they didn’t renounce this new faith. The Father spoke the famous words “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.” The chief once again lashed his threat and the Father replied “Though none go with me, still I will follow.” His wife and he were executed together and his last words were “The cross before me. The world behind me.”

As I read the history behind this song, I was brought to near tears. I could so boldly sing this song with a crowd surrounding me, but could I, in the face of an execution sentence, even mumble them softly- let alone proclaim them with vigor like the Indian man? Even if this story isn’t 100% accurate, there are still an innumerable amount of people that will stand in the face of such persecution today and tomorrow and the day after that, who will have to make that life or death choice while I sit here deciding what font size I want to use. I’m ashamed.

The Bible tells us in the book of Joshua that Israel was divided. The false gods of other nations were worming their way into the hearts of God’s chosen people. The idolatry was not only causing a rift between the people themselves but it was more imperatively building a separation between the people and the One True God; their God. Joshua, as the leader, confronted the people and relayed the Lord’s message

“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” [Joshua 24:15]

Choose Today. Joshua boldly ordered the Israelites to do this thousands of years ago, and the Lord asks each of us to do it now. If you’re saved, then you’ve already made the choice to serve the Lord. Praise God! If you’re not, I pray that this will be the day in which you do. (If you need a little more info in this area, maybe check this out)

I’m just gonna be honest with you right now: I believe that there’s a little more to the Christian life than this one and done choice. But before I go any farther, I do NOT believe that man can in ANY WAY earn his/her salvation. I do NOT believe that “works” are required to maintain one’s salvation. And I do NOT believe that one can lose their salvation. So hear me out. :)

As a Christian, we must make a daily, moment-by-moment choice to surrender our will to Jesus Christ and choose Him. We must choose Him over our fleshly desires. We must choose Him over our pleasurable temptations. We must choose Him over ourselves. In this sense, Joshua’s (God’s) “Choose this day” is more ‘choose this moment.’

I don’t know about you, but I want to be like that man from India, like believers all over the globe, if I’m ever faced with such extreme persecution.  Even if I’m not in that severe of a situation, I want to every day, every moment, make a choice to choose the One True God. I want to be able to sing, in every circumstance, in the face of every evil, “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back”

“No turning back.”