“You Never Hear Jesus Say In Pilate’s Judgement Hall One Word That Would Let You Imagine That He Was Sorry That He Had Undertaken So Costly A Sacrifice For Us. When His Hands Are Pierced, When He Is Parched With Fever, His Tongue Dried Up Like A Shard Of Pottery, When His Whole Body Is Dissolved Into The Dust Of Death, You Never Hear A Groan Or A Shriek That Looks Like Jesus Is Going Back On His Commitment.” – Charles Spurgeon
Commitment is not a popular word these days. Culture tells us you can have all of the “fun” that can be had by keeping your “options open” and meeting an immediate “need”, without worrying about long-term ramifications. In the home, we show that the marriage union is one that can be easily broken if things get too hard, no longer meets our needs, or simply fails to maintain our interest. And what about our commitment to God? For decades, Christians have understood this to mean “say a prayer of repentance and commitment to Jesus, attend church regularly, and live a generally good life.” The commitment to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is a critical commitment, but it does not end there. Once we decided to follow Jesus, we made a life-long commitment to Him.
Rich Warren said “Nothing Shapes Your Life More Than The Commitments You Choose To Make.” Commitment is not an abstract idea or merely a mental exercise at this point, but a choice. Commitment means you have to stop riding the fence. Commitment means that you make up your mind. Commitment means to drive a stake in the ground and lay claim to one life, one focused goal; following Jesus Christ.
So, we need to continually ask ourselves self-probing questions to see if our commitment is what it should be. Does your life show commitment to Christ? Does the frequency of your church attendance show commitment to Christ? Does the way you worship show commitment? Does the way you conduct yourself when no one is looking indicate a commitment to the Lord? Does the way you act at work, at school and in public in general demonstrate that you are a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ?
Sometimes we need to get back to the basics and consider our own commitment to Christ. Jesus is looking for disciples who will follow Him and make him the most important part of their lives so that he is in control of every part. He is looking for commitment.
When you have a heart that is sold out (committed) to Him and you are fully trusting that God will guide you in the best way possible, that is when you will begin to shine. You have to be willing to do what God wants and want what He wants in your life. As you do that while trusting Him, God will be able to do great things in and through you.
Discussion Questions:
- In 1 Chronicle 12:33 (NIV), we read: “soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty…” The NLT version says, “completely loyal.” And the ESV version says, “singleness of purpose.” How do those statements compare with our commitment to God?
- What can we do this week to strengthen our commitment to God?