Being Committed

The Power of Commitment
In our society, we are scared of commitment. Many people are afraid to marry, and those that do are often looking for a way out of it. We change jobs as frequently as our underwear. If we make a promise, we want to find a loophole, just in case we want to get out of it. We have great friends, but we will just as often give them up and look for another one. We sign contracts without thinking about it and renege our agreements as quickly as we make them.

What we have lost in forsaking commitment is tremendous. Commitment is not just sticking to what we say. It is being faithful to someone or something. It is always being there when they need you, and always trusting when there is trouble. Commitment is a form of love, a loyalty that never swerves. If we have commitment, then we have the power to make things change among those who are committed. But if we do not have commitment, then no one needs to listen to us. Commitment is a bind to each other, and that commitment can change people’s lives.

Commitment to God
In Scripture, we are commanded to especially commit to God, above all else. We are to fear God and love God with all of our emotions, thinking and strength. We are to worship God and obey Him. (Deuteronomy 6:3, 5, 24) We are to devote all that we have to God for His use (Luke 14:33). We are to listen to God’s word and obey it (Luke 11:28). And we are to confess openly, in public, our faith in God and in Jesus (Matthew 10:32-33).

Why commit to God?
But why should we commit ourselves to God? Isn’t it enough that we believe in Him and say nice things about Him? Not at all. We need to remember that God is a King—the King of the Universe—and before he is on our side, He needs to be sure that we are on his side. To be on God’s side means that we are willingly under his rule. We show this in two ways:

a. We confess our allegiance to Him
In a court of law, we will often swear to the truth, and a country will ask for a statement of allegiance. Such statements are to prove that we are committed to the institution, and that we will never betray it in any way. Even so, God desires for us to make such periodic statements, to verbalize our commitment to Him. It is an ongoing commitment to Him and to his ways.

b. We obey His word
We can talk about how we love our country all day long, but if we constantly disobey the laws of our country, then we show our hypocrisy. However often we verbalize our commitment to God or to Jesus, it is not enough unless we act on it. A verbal agreement with God is good, but it is incomplete without a lifestyle change that shows one commitment to God. Obedience to God’s requirements—especially to love God and to love others around us—are basic to be committed to God.

Confessions
There are a number of confessions in Scripture that we could use ourselves. The main one is the one that Jesus himself used:

“The Lord is our God, the Lord is alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind and with all of your strength.”
This confession was repeated by the Jews of Jesus’ day at least twice every day, and that practice continues to today.

“Jesus is Lord and God has raised him from the dead.” (Romans 10:11)

“There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we exist through Him.” (I Corinthians 8:6)

Also, we could invent one ourselves:
“I do solemnly vow my pledge of commitment and allegiance to Jesus Christ. I confess and acknowledge that Jesus—alone of all men— has the right and authority to rule over the whole earth. I willingly put myself under his rule dedicating myself to him, as the way to God, the speaker of truth and the giver of eternal life. Hereby I commit myself to following Jesus' way, obeying his commands, loving him and remaining faithful to him.”

Let’s Commit!
Okay, let’s put it into practice. First of all, we need to verbally commit ourselves to God and to Jesus. We can repeat one or more of the statement up above. Then we need to allow the Spirit examine ourselves to determine if there is anything in our lives that the Spirit wants us to firm up in our commitment to the Lord. Listen for God to speak, and ask him to examine us (see Psalm 139:23-24). Then we should put God’s word into practice in our lives. Write it down and live it out!