Burn the Plows
“And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered to him.” 1 Kings 19:21
This story had a TON of impact on me this morning. Elisha was a hard working and disciplined man and what I could understand he was doing pretty good for himself. He had a farm and he owned oxen. Every day he would wake up, eat, plow, stare at the rears of oxen, eat dust, eat, plow, stare at the rears of Oxen, eat dust, eat, go to bed and then repeat the next day.
Then one day Elijah came and threw his cloak over his shoulders and anointed him as successor to the most famous or well known prophet of the time. He didn’t talk to him for hours, interview him, and ask him about all of his dark past and secrets…. he was chosen and called. Have you ever felt CALLED to do something more or different?
God had more for his life than to just the monotony of plowing.
We, I believe are similar where God is calling us out of monotonous lives where we have no passion or room to share our gifts. That was me before 5 years ago. It was wake up, drive to work, write manuals, help with service department, eat lunch, help with shipping, drive home, eat, go to bed, wake up and repeat. I learned discipline, time management, some leadership, and continued hard work but I was not living a purpose and I had no passion for my work. When April 11th came and I had my “moment” similar to this moment that Elisha had I knew that there was something bigger in store for me.
What really stands out to me about Elisha from the verse above is that he DESTROYS the only means to his stable and comfortable life. He destroys the only thing that sustains his life and gives him food to eat. He kills his oxen and burns his plows to follow this calling.
It makes me think. “AM I THAT ALL IN?”
I believe that when it talks about “burn the plows”, this is symbolic of what chains YOU and me to the ordinary life such as:
-A job that is not in line with what God has called you to do, OR the passionless, purposeless approach and effort you put into your current job.
-The conscious choice to keep using your spouse’s or a friends past mistakes against him or her.
– A life that is a little to safe, a lifestyle that is a little to comfortable.
Basically what it boils down to is that it is important for us to make a DECISION like Elisha did. A decision when a greater goal, vision, or purpose enters your life to say… “OKAY GOD, I’M ALL IN” Whether this means you are leaving something behind or becoming more passionate about where you are at in life.