What I Learned From Commitment: (Audio)
It’s amazing to see how quickly folks lose their commitment to something that once meant a lot to them.
Whether a toy, automobile, or even a pet – let something change in their perspective from enjoyable to dislike, and their commitment loses its polished viewpoint.
That first vehicle you lovingly cared for? Let it break down one too many times, or get sneered at by someone you respect (how do you respect someone who knows how to sneer?), then it is easy to toss it to the side and find some new shiny bauble to pamper.
That exciting first job becomes mundane. It’s “work” that you must force yourself to attend to. Your loyalty is only to the paycheck, not to your co-workers or boss. You get to the point of not even caring about the companies bottom line!
The harsh reality is that “things” do lose their luster. Habits are easy to drop. What fad is favored today is replaced by new fads tomorrow! We easily pick them up and toss them when the newness wears off. Remember Pet Rocks? Then you had to learn how to bury them when their popularity wore off!
What I have learned is that if I pick up something that is only a fad to please someone else, then I never truly “picked” it up to carry.
It’s like having a faithful friend or loved one that has been there for you through all your trials. Relationships take hard work to maintain and are worthy of the “long view.” It’s giving and taking. Most of the time you give with no thought of being on the receiving side. But giving means you allow someone the latitude to be in need and not worrying about paying you back.
It is true that many times relationships are abused. But there is a spiritual side of this that puts most of us in the corner of being the abuser!
Consider Peter writing that we are to “cast all our cares on him”, namely God (1 Peter 5:7). We take our load and place it on him, and never think about picking up some of the load in return and carrying it with no thought about payback.
But if you read the entire scripture, you realize this is a principle of olden times. You cannot carry the entire burden alone. David said we are to “cast (throw) our burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” (Psalms 55:22)
Listen! We are not able to carry that load alone!
We were never meant to carry our burdens alone! Just like those of old knew how to use pack animals, and how to distribute the weight evenly, we are in desperate need of committing ourselves to others so they will help us during our load bearing time.
Go back to the beginning and you hear God say, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Genesis 2:18, NKJV) A Helper…
Again, David tells us to learn to cry out to the Lord, “…Lord, be my helper!” (Psalms 30:10)
That ultimate Helper for the born again child of God is the Holy Spirit.
“And I will pray the Father,
and He will give you another Helper,
that He may abide with you forever”
~(John 14:16, NKJV)
A Helper that will abide with you forever! Where’s your commitment now? Remember. You are not in this trial of life alone. You have someone committed to you. Always. So. Who, or what, are you committed to?
So… What Lessons Did I Learn? Several, in fact, are important to take special note of.
First. There are those who are always available for you, even when you seem to forget all about them. Faithful friends and family that stick as close as they can, even if it’s from afar, and across the span of years. This is why it’s easy to reconnect with someone from our past as if no time has seeped through the hourglass.
Second. There are even strangers who will help you when you are at your lowest. Remember the Good Samaritan? (Luke 10:30-35) But do not let this be a one way street with you always being on the receiving side of life. Be thoughtful of helping strangers yourself. Who knows, you may be entertaining an angel unaware. (Hebrews 13:2)
Third. Commitment to God often means what I want to do is not as important as what He wants me to do. David tells us to “delight” ourselves in the Lord and he gives us the desires of our heart. In the very next verse, he tells us to “commit” our way to the Lord, trust in him and he will bring it to pass. (Psalms 37:4-5).
Fourth. Sometimes Commitment means going against the flow of popularity. Staying nose into the situation instead of running with the tide of what everyone else thinks. “Too many Christians have a commitment of convenience. They’ll stay faithful as long as it’s safe and doesn’t involve risk, rejection, or criticism. Instead of standing alone in the face of challenge or temptation, they check to see which way their friends are going.” ~Charles Stanley
What are the Results? Commitment brings about acts of faithfulness, from God and others; but faith brings about an even deeper level of commitment. Jesus taught this principle in the New Testament, and it seemed to amaze the listener: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over…shall men give unto your bosom.” With whatever measure you give out, your receive equally in return! (Luke 6:38). In other words, faith and commitment produce a deeper experience!
You receive what you give!
Faithfulness to each other, attendance to God’s house, in our sacrificial giving of time and finances, as well as receiving a reward for our commitment.