Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave the commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, “Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.” And Jesus saith unto Him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath nowhere to lay his head.” And another of his disciples said unto him, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said unto him, “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” – Matthew 8:18-22 KJV

When Jesus says, ‘‘let the dead bury their dead,’’ He is calling out this aspiring disciple for procrastinating. The man’s father isn’t dead yet. This is him saying, “Jesus, I will wait to follow you until the time is more convenient for me.”  But Jesus says, “No, follow me now. Put me first.” Christ is going to keep moving and doing the will of the Father, and the longer we wait, the farther we get from Him.

And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but He was asleep. And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, “Lord save us: we perish.” And he saith unto them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. – Matthew 8:23-26 KJV

In verse 18, Jesus tells everyone to go to the other side of the lake, so the disciples know that Jesus is going with them all the way to the other side. However, in the midst of the storm, the disciples forget His words, and they become afraid of sinking. When they wake Jesus up, He calms the storm, but He also rebukes them for not believing what He said. After all, Jesus would not have told them to go to the other side of the lake just to let them all drown before they got there.

I have been in the positions of both the disciple who wants to wait to fully follow Jesus and the disciples in the boat. I am sure I will be in their positions again. As Christians, we constantly face the temptations to cast Jesus aside and live by our own desires. But Christ lives in us. He makes it possible to win the good fight that we are fighting. All we have to do is die to ourselves and have faith that God will do the rest, as long as we remain willing. This is so simple, but it is not easy.

Crossing Over

God takes our obedience and faith and uses it for His Kingdom. He eagerly waits for us to come to Him in faith. For examples of what God does when we put our faith in Him, read Hebrews 11 and look at the amazing men and women who are serving as overseas missionaries today, or research those who have died for the name of Jesus.

When I went on the short-term trip to Central Eurasia, God showed me that putting my faith in Him will always produce the best outcome. Sure, giving up two weeks of summer was tiny in comparison to what countless other Christians have already given up to serve, but it was what God asked of me at the time.

I had other plans for my break, but God called out my unwilling heart.

There are three scenarios for how the beginning of my summer could have gone. In the first, I could have said no, and chosen to wait a few years to go on a mission trip, just like the disciple who wanted to wait for his father to die. However, during the trip, my friend and I got to tell a sixteen-year-old girl the whole Gospel. Of course, if I had not gone, God still could have reached her. He doesn’t need us, but He wants to use us. What a privilege that He wants to use all of us to build His kingdom! Man is God’s method, and man’s obedience is what carries the Gospel to all the ends of the earth.

In the second scenario, I could have gone and had a horrible attitude. Just like the disciples in the boat forgot that Jesus said they were going to the other side, I could have forgotten that Jesus said He is always with us when we go out to share the Gospel. I would have been bitter and made the whole team miserable.

The third possibility is what actually happened. I went, I watched, I learned, I tried to serve (but the Live Dead Silk Road staff served me much more than I served them), and most importantly, God’s word was spread.

Yes to Love

When we choose to follow Jesus we may find ourselves in a small boat surrounded by huge waves, in a hot Turkish living room drawing the gospel out for a new friend, in a country we have never even heard of, or even giving our lives because we refuse to proclaim anything but Christ.

We follow Him to the ends of the earth because we love Him, and we love Him because He first loved us.

Giving your life, your future, or your dreams to go where Jesus has called you is a really simple concept. It isn’t easy, though. But in the words of Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

If Jesus is asking you to do something, whether it is inviting your neighbor to church or serving overseas, do it. Don’t wait. Do it and have faith that God keeps His promises, because He does.