No Going Back

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him... So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

1 Kings 19:19-21

When Elijah called Elisha to be his successor, it wasn't exactly a great time to be signing up to be a prophet of God. Sure, Elijah had just won a major victory on Mt. Carmel. But, besides Elijah only 100 other prophets remained, and they were all hiding in caves. Queen Jezebel had killed all the rest of the prophets and had promised to kill Elijah. By signing up to be Elijah's apprentice, Elisha is putting his own life at risk. Yet, Elisha embraces his new calling fully and without hesitation.

Notice the act of total commitment Elisha uses to confirm his acceptance of this call. He slaughters the oxen he was just plowing with and uses the wood from the plowing equipment to cook the meat. Then he uses that meat to feed his friends and neighbors and family and himself. This is a beautiful symbolic action. There's no going back to plowing now! Elisha is fully committed. He closes the door on his past life as he steps into his new one.

Christians are called to do the same when we get saved. In order to walk with Christ, we must leave our old ways of living behind. But we often struggle to be as decisive and final as Elisha was. Are there any bridges you need to burn, any old ways of living you need to sacrifice, any doors you need to firmly close and lock between your current calling and your past life? 

Being fully committed to living for the Lord in the present and future requires you to firmly close the door on how you used to live. What door do you need to close? What old way of living do you need to sacrifice? What bridge do you need to burn to make sure that you never go back to your life before Jesus? Fully commit to living for the Lord today.