ROTTEN MANGO
This summer, I had the wonderful joy of worshiping God while on a mission trip in Trinidad. The pastor’s name was Earl Samson. He really lived up to his name. The preaching was powerful! The message was from Luke 9:57-62. With great passion, the preacher reminded us about the cost of discipleship. He started his sermon by asking a good question. “What kind of disciple (Christ-follower) are you?” He asked, “Are you an ‘Eager Disciple’ (v. 57) a ‘Reluctant Disciple’ (v. 59) a ‘Someday Disciple’ (v. 61) or a ‘Now Disciple’ (v. 62)?” Needless to say, I was convicted and challenged. It’s funny how the Word of God always does that to me. I have a tendency to be like the “reluctant disciple.” I’m often tempted to put things off. Here’s how my faulty logic works: “God really doesn’t need me…If God doesn’t need me, then I shouldn’t worry about using my talents and abilities to serve others….Besides, if I don’t serve, there are PLENTY of others who can do the same job.” The problem with this kind of logic is that it makes me lazy. While it’s true that God doesn’t need me, He DOES want to use me.
That Sunday night after hearing this message, I was walking down a path at Ridgewalk Camp and a mango literally dropped to the ground right in front of me. Then I noticed something that I had overlooked before. There were mangos all over the ground. In Trinidad, mango trees are plentiful. They’re everywhere! I was tempted to pick up the ripe mango that had just fallen to the ground and eat it, but I chose to keep walking. I once again gave in to that faulty logic. “I LOVE mangos, and that one looks perfectly ripe. This is obviously the best time to eat one, but I’ll just wait ‘till I get home. Kroger has them in the produce section. Besides, someone else will get that one. They’re everywhere!”
Unfortunately, most of the mango that fall to the ground just lay there and rot.
Following Christ is sweet…like a mango. But there really is a cost to discipleship. Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23) Sweet! I really want my service to Christ to be sweet…not "reluctantly" rotten. On that Sunday morning, Preacher Samson ended his powerful message with a nifty acrostic. He said, “God wants us to be F.A.T. Disciples. FIT…AVAILABLE…and TEACHABLE!” I like it!
Note to self. The next time a beautifully ripe mango falls right in front of my face, don’t let it just sit there and rot…pick it up and eat it! Oh, and the next time God drops a beautiful service opportunity right in my lap, don’t assume someone else will do it. Taste the sweet goodness of following Christ!
