Burn The Ships

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

When you vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.


Fernando Cortes has a plan. He wanted to lead an expedition into Mexico to capture its vast treasures. When the Spanish governor heard about it, he got so excited he gave Cortes 11 Ships and 700 men. Little did the governor know that Cortes had failed to reveal the entire plan.

After months of travel, the 11 ships landed in Veracruz in spring of 1519. As soon as the ships were unloaded, Cortes instituted the rest of his plan – he burned the ships.

That’s what you call commitment. That’s what you call no turning back. That’s what some call burning bridges. But Cortes didn’t have any bridges, so he burned his ships.

Essentially, he eliminated the options. He didn’t know what he would encounter on his expedition to the interior. But he did know this: There could be no escape routes for his men. If the fighting got too fierce or the expedition too exhausting, there was no going back to Veracruz and sailing home. In one fell swoop, he had not only eliminated the options but had created an intensely powerful motivation to succeed.

Today, more than ever, we need men and women who are willing to “burn their ships” when it comes to their marriages. Burning your ships expresses commitment – no matter what comes in the future, you’re going to stick it out.
Commitment means you have obligated yourself to follow through on your word. It’s your personal guarantee that you will do what you promised.

But the spirit of our age, whether expressed in athletics, business, politics or marriages, is that commitment should be honored only when it’s convenient.

I’m glad Jesus didn’t feel that way. His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was not, “Father, I’m pretty uptight and this is really going to hurt, so I’m out”

Jesus burned his ships and wants those of us who follow him to do the same.



By Steve Farrar




Such a lovely reminder at this time of my life that God is asking me to be committed to the things that I’ve started, burn the bridges and go all out to complete God’s plan in my life.



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