Sometimes you move forward because there ain’t no going back. Famously Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador, burned his ships so that his men would have to conquer the Aztec Empire or die. Not sure everyone initially agreed with the plan, but once the boats lit up they reached consensus.

A large number of men and women came to faith in Jesus during Paul’s stay in Ephesus. These new converts took stock of their lives and made dramatic changes: A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.

That sounds impressive, and when you do the math all those drachmas equate to roughly $15 million U.S. dollars today.

What moved these former practitioners of the dark arts to burn their highly valuable books? The fear of God and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s powerful preaching coupled with extraordinary miracles swept the region. Due to the bonfire the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Former priests of other gods and worshippers of devils publicly acknowledged their new found faith in Jesus, and in order not to return to old ways they burned their sources of temptation. A decision to follow Jesus brings a change in lifestyle, in priorities, and in where we place our trust.

There’s only enough room for Jesus on the throne of our lives, and if you need to burn some boats to clear space, then light the match.

Acts 19 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jonny Caspari