Commitment – Or Not?

Years ago, a couple responded to an invitation for salvation at the end of a service. They wept and shed tears over their sin, trusted Christ as Savior, and all in the church rejoiced at their salvation. But we never saw them again at church.

A Christian couple with all the qualifications needed responded to the mission call. They filled out all the applications for a mission board and went through some special training.   Then, suddenly, they dropped out. They came back to our church and attended church irregularly. Any time their boys had a sporting event that conflicted with church, sports won out. Eventually, they dropped out of church.

A young male high school graduate committed to the Lord’s service at Bible Camp. He was determined to go to Bible college to prepare. But his mother didn’t want him to leave home and move 200 miles to Bible college. His mother won out.

In the New Testament, we have the example of Demas, who forsook Paul, “having loved this present world.” (2 Timothy 4:9).

In the Old Testament, several kings started well, had good intentions, and then turned to the world and idolatry.

I think we could safely say that in all of the above cases, these individuals did not understand commitment when deciding. A commitment is a promise, pledge, or agreement to do something in the future. It is like a contract with the Lord.

Many verses define the dedication and loyalty that God wants. Romans 12:1-2 tells us to present our bodies as a LIVING SACRIFICE. These two words are contradictory. Living indicates life and breath, while sacrifice implies death. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:29, “I die daily.” Then there is this familiar verse: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

When you dedicate or commit your life, you give it to the Lord. It is sacrificed to the Lord. You put the old self to death. You now have all the rights a dead person has: NONE. Your life is now given over totally to the Lord to do His will, not your own. You permit God to set the path of your life. You let Him determine your daily schedule. Your family is the Lord’s. Your time is the Lord’s. Your marriage to your life partner belongs to Him. You are not a couple but rather a threesome – you, your spouse, and the Lord.

A dead person has no voice of his own. He only goes where he is carried. He has no opinion. He has no vocation. He has no pleasures or sorrows, and he has no pain. You are not your own. Jesus bought you with His blood. You belong to your Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Daniel is an excellent example of such a person. As a young man, perhaps just a teenager, he was carried away captive by the Babylonians. He decided he would not defile himself with the king’s meat. God blessed him. (Daniel 1) When God gifted Daniel to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, he gave God the glory. (Daniel 2). When King Darius commanded that you must pray only to him, Daniel continued to pray to the true God. When he was cast into the den of lions, God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths. (Daniel 6). Daniel lived to be a very old man. His life was a continuous testimony of a life committed wholly to God.

Hebrews 11 portrays a Hall of Faith of men and women who were whole-heartedly committed to the Lord. Some of these heroes of faith lived out an average lifetime. Some of them died prematurely through persecution. But all were called and blessed by God and committed to the Lord.

Christians often quote Proverbs 3:5-6 without really thinking of all that is involved. It is a beautiful Scripture with a tremendous promise. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart (TOTAL commitment); and lean not unto thine own understanding (Whether you understand it or not, you yield to the Lord’s direction). In all thy ways (home life, job life, church life, thought life, pleasure and recreation life, TV time life, computer and cell phone life), acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (His paths are better than your paths.) And verse 7 commands, “Be not wise in thine own eyes: (Don’t think that you know better than the Lord), fear the LORD, (fear, honor, respect and obey Him) and depart from evil.”

Are you genuinely committed to the Lord? What is your level of commitment?