WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH US ABOUT COMMITMENTS?
Matthew 8:18-22 18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 21 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” Key Bible Verse 8:22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now! Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead.”
OUR COMMITMENT TO CHRIST MUST BE COMPLETE.
It is possible that this disciple was not asking permission to go to his father’s funeral, but rather to put off following Jesus until his elderly father died. Perhaps he was the firstborn son and wanted to be sure to claim his inheritance. Perhaps he didn’t want to face his father’s wrath if he left the family business to follow an itinerant preacher. Whether his concern was financial security, family approval, or something else, he did not want to commit himself to Jesus just yet. Jesus, however, would not accept his excuse. Jesus was always direct with those who wanted to follow him. He made sure they counted the cost and set aside any conditions they might have for following him. As God’s Son, Jesus did not hesitate to demand complete loyalty. Even family loyalty was not to take priority over the demands of obedience. His direct challenge forces us to ask ourselves about our own priorities in following him. The decision to follow Jesus should not be put off, even though other loyalties compete for our attention. Nothing should be placed above a total commitment to living for him.
BIBLE READING: Joshua 24:14-27
Key Bible Verse: 22 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
OUR COMMITMENT TO GOD MUST BE CONSISTENT.
The people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven his trustworthiness, or obey the local gods, which were only man-made idols. It’s easy to slip into a quiet rebellion-going about life in your own way. But the time comes when you have to choose who or what will control you. In taking a definite stand for the Lord, Joshua again displayed his spiritual leadership. Regardless of what others decided, Joshua had made a commitment to God, and he was willing to set the example of living by that decision. The way we live shows others the strength of our commitment to serving God.
BIBLE READING: Romans 5:1-11
Key Bible Verse: 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
CHRIST COMMITTED HIMSELF TO US FIRST. While we were still sinners God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, because He loved us that much. Whenever you feel uncertain about God’s love for you remember that He loved you even before you turned to Him.
COMMITMENT IS THE BEGINNING OF TRUSTING GOD.
Psalm 37:5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. David calls us to take delight in the Lord and to commit everything we have and do to him. But how do we do this? To be delighted in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed give us delight. To commit everything to the Lord means entrusting our life, family, job, and possessions to his control and guidance. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to trust in him (37:5), believing that he can care for us better than we can ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently (37:7) “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act”, and for him to work out what is best for us.
PJ
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Commitment is the crux of it I think, it is also the toughest part. Keeping spiritual during our everyday life seems to be something that we have to learn to work with...it doesn't seem to come naturally. Lot's of temptations to do otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThese are really good internet sermons Boss, Thanks, John