Commitment is Fundamental

Though skeptical of his teenage son’s newfound determination to build bulging muscles, one father followed his teenager to the store’s weight-lifting department, where they admired a set of weights.

“Please, Dad,” pleaded the teen, “I promise I’ll use ’em every day.”

“I don’t know, Michael. It’s really a commitment on your part,” the father said.

“Please, Dad?”

“They’re not cheap either,” the father said.

“I’ll use ’em, Dad, I promise. You’ll see.”

Finally won over, the father paid for the equipment and headed for the door. After a few steps, he heard his son behind him say, “What! You mean I have to carry them to the car?”

Commitment goes beyond shallow promises and impulsive pleas. It is deep. Devoted. And dedicated. John Maxwell observed that commitment “separates dreamers from doers.” Or as Arthur Gordon put it, “Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day.”

“Commitment is what transforms the promise into reality. It is the words that speak Boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak Louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, Year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; The power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph Of integrity over skepticism.” (Top definition in the Urban Dictionary)

One of the most fundamental aspects to our faith and to the Bible basics we’ve been writing about is our commitment. Our commitment to Christ. Our commitment to His Word. And our commitment to daily Christian living.

While the word “commitment” is not found in English Bible translations, the concept is taught throughout the Old and New Testament.

Commitment is embodied in Jesus’ challenge, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Lk. 9:23).

Commitment begins in a heart that loves God. It is induced by a conscience that is both tender and taught. It is established by the intellect in the choices we make. It is fueled by our passionate zeal for spiritual things. And it is sustained by the will or votilion that with purpose seeks to serve the Lord.

Commitment is not only the key to our relationship with the Lord, but it is indispensable in developing meaningful relationships with others and is vital to growing a spiritually bonded fellowship within the Body of Christ. A happy home and a mutually satisfying marriage are impossible without commitment. Nothing worthwhile in life is achieved apart from commitment.

Sadly, as Dr. Charles Stanley once wrote, “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.”

God’s greats exemplified the essence and character of commitment that we need to imbibe.

• Faithful Abraham believed God’s promise when it seemed not only improbable, but impossible.
• Joseph stayed true to his values and honored God regardless of his brothers’ betrayal, a wicked woman’s seductions, or a unfair punishment when innocent.
• Humble and meek Moses endured the hardship of the wilderness, the incessant grumbling of the congregation, and the sins and setbacks of God’s people to become one of the great leaders of all time.
• The three Hebrew captives in Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, refused to bow to the King’s image in the face of being thrown into the burning, fiery furnace.
• Daniel would not abandon his practice of daily prayer to God, defying the King’s decree, he trusted God to deliver Him from the Lions’ den.
• Peter and John disavowed and disregarded the orders to quit preaching Christ and boldly proclaimed, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
• Paul suffered persecution, imprisonment, stoning, beating, and misrepresentation by his fellow Pharisees because of his commitment to be “crucified with Christ.”

May we find the strength and depth of Christian commitment as expressed by author Bob Moorehead: “My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in a maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or slow up.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman