In the days when sailing ships were the primary means of trading, ships would legally fight only while flying their national flag. Striking the colours (lowering the flags which signified the ship’s allegiance) was a recognised sign of surrender. However, if the flags were fixed to the masts with nails, they could not easily be removed and this became an expression of defiance and a willingness to fight to the bitter end.
There are times when we have to nail our colours to the mast: when we have to declare openly that we are followers of Christ, that we are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of salvation to all who believe. (Rom 1:16) Jesus calls us to radical discipleship: to the surrender of our self to His ownership, recognising that He is Lord of all (see 1 Cor 6:19-20). There is no place for us to hesitate or be ashamed of our allegiance: ‘If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.’ (Mk 8:38) ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:62) We need to be unashamed and to publicly declare our discipleship.
For some, that may mean leaving the security of a job and setting forth to serve God in mission fields; for others, it may even lead to martyrdom. But for all of us, it means letting go of our self-reliance and walking every day by faith, trusting in God’s ways and leaning on His thoughts, rather than living with God as an added extra or an insurance policy. It means living with the cross before us and the world behind us, choosing to walk the narrow path of salvation secure in the knowledge that it leads to eternal life.
Will you nail your colours to the mast? Who do you say Jesus is?