[Darris McNeely] We've been covering a series on BT Daily here about becoming a disciple. Today I want to go back to the story of Elisha, the servant of the prophet Elijah, and the mentoring process that took place there as Elisha became the disciple of Elijah. In that example is a story about commitment.

The story begins, actually, in the gospels, when Jesus said to His disciples that "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." That's in Luke chapter 9, and beginning in verse 62 and the verses following that (Luke 9:62). When He said that, Jesus's disciples would know exactly what He was referring to by "putting one's hand to the plow" – they would have to go back to the story of Elisha. Elisha, when he was called by Elijah – the story tells us back in the books of Kings – that he burned his plow, he killed his oxen, and he basically severed and burned all of his bridges to the profession that he had, which was a farmer, to become a disciple of Elijah (1 Kings 19:19-21).

Now, when you look very carefully in that story of Elijah and Elisha, you see the example of commitment – because Elisha stayed with Elijah all the way to the end of his life. You remember the story of Elijah, how he was taken up into the sky at the time of his departure, and that's where he disappears from the story in Scripture. On that day that it happened, Elisha was wanting to be with Elijah all the way to the end. And he was. It's in 2 Kings chapter 2 where we have that story – 2 Kings chapter 2, and the majority of that particular chapter. And what happens, if you look in verse 4, Elijah said to Elisha, "'Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho.' But he said, 'As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you,'" Elisha said to Elijah. And so they came to Jericho. And, Elisha even, at one point in the story, asked for a double portion of the power that Elijah had, and Elijah's response to him was "If you stay with me to the end, it will happen. It will take place" (2 Kings 2:4-10).

And as you read on through the story, Elisha did stay with Elijah until the moment when he was taken up into the skies and disappears from Elisha's view – and from the story, commitment. Commitment is what it takes to truly be a disciple of God, a disciple of Jesus Christ.

You know, commitment is one of those matters that is very, very rare for us to consider today. Committing to a relationship, committing to a marriage, committing to a job, committing to a friendship, is something that takes a lot of work, takes a lot of effort, and if we don't understand that at times, especially when it comes to the major commitments of life, especially with marriage, then we're going to be tempted to leave. We're going to be tempted to divorce, or to just quit – on a person, on a job, on a relationship. We don't want to be that way.

Most of all, we want to stay until the end with a commitment that we have made to God and to Jesus Christ. To learn something, to be a true disciple, takes that commitment – putting one's hand to the plow. Learn that, and we're on the road to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.