“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the
keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”
 ( I Peter 4:19)

When we think of the word “commitment” and what it means, I am afraid
that the true meaning has been lost. The world defines commitment as a
temporal action, a half-hearted thing that crumbles and falls apart under
pressure. The word has no real meaning because many are being led about
by circumstances. This is manifested by those who come together outside
the commitment of marriage and live in fornication. When two people live
together, but are not married, then there is nothing to hinder them from
separating when something goes wrong. There is no commitment! You have
heard the phrase, “When the going gets rough, the tough get going or
depart.” It would be more accurate to say, “When the going gets rough,
the hard hearted and unfaithful or uncommitted depart.” There is an
attack that comes when we make a firm commitment to follow and obey the
Lord Jesus Christ.

Many I fear have fallen into a trap of looking at life in a worldly way.
We see this in the many marriage relationships that end up on the rocks.
There are becoming fewer and fewer examples of rightful relationships.
This is disheartening to the few who really desire a godly relationship
in the bonds of marriage.
        
Today, you will get more response and commitment to matters of morality
or standards of behavior than you will if you suggest that the main cause
of the trouble comes from not committing our lives to Christ. To stand
for Jesus, there must be a commitment that will sustain us through the
bad times, when it seems that everything is collapsing.

The married man has many commitments. He is to be committed to the Lord,
to his wife, and to the raising of his children. If he is obedient to God
in these matters, then he will find that commitment to be a joy and a
blessing that he would not exchange for anything. His family has been
provided by God for his learning and edification. With the single man it
is different, for he has only one commitment that is worth something, and
it is the only commitment that will sustain and give him the strength to
continue on:  his commitment to Christ! This is very important, for one
of the enemies of the single man is the lack of some incentive to drive
him onward. There must be a commitment that has true meaning or else he
will just drift and seek to obtain recognition by earthly means.

In the last article I referred to a pathway through the mud puddles. I
liken it to verse 14 in Matthew 7:  “...Strait is the gate, and narrow is
the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” This is
where true commitment is so vital, for only He can lead us on this narrow
way. Is He leading you today?

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in
green pastures:  He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my
soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
(Psalm 23:1-3)

“...He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him
the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own
sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his
voice.”   (John 10:2-4)

These verses set forth the fact that the Lord is leading and preparing
the way, and is ever calling us to follow Him. A relationship has been
established, and it is into His care that we are to commit our lives.
This is the problem of our day, for to be committed, there must be a
relationship, and to have a relationship, there must be a commitment.
This may sound confusing, but it makes perfect sense when we realize that
it is a two way relationship bound together by love and respect. This is
vital to our growth and well-being, for without this relationship to
Christ there is nothing.

For the single man there is no other way, no way of keeping himself in
the love of God apart from Christ. By the power of God’s Spirit we are
given strength to rise above the pit, to put off the old man and his
sinful deeds and to walk in the holiness of Christ (Please refer to
Ephesians 4:20-24).

Will you make a commitment today to pursue a deeper relationship with
Christ, to be filled with a desire to know the Lord our God, to get down
on your knees and ask God, being fully aware of your need for Him to
instill His desires within your heart? Whether you are single by
circumstances or choice, you must choose this day who you will serve.
Will you make Him the Lord of your life. Let us close in prayer:

Our God and Father, we bring before You this matter of a commitment and
of a relationship, realizing that it is only by Thy Holy Spirit that we
can ever come before Thee with committed hearts. Open our ears and eyes
so that we may follow and escape the sin that so easily comes upon us.
Teach us to walk in the paths of righteousness, and to be committed to
Thee in every way. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.    Amen!

M. H. G.


     

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