Commitment - Christ’s Commission Fellowship
For many of us, “commitment” is a strong word. Yet it is absolutely essential for relationships to last. Sadly, we live in a world obsessed with non-commitment even in the most basic relationships.
Our level of commitment is another evidence that we have continued intimacy with God. It is proof that we are growing deeper in our walk with Him. A commitment to Jesus is a daily and conscious decision to follow and obey Him and His Word. Commitment requires wholeheartedness from both parties. The good news is that God already showed His commitment to us by demonstrating His love when Christ died on the cross for our sins.
To be intimate with God, we must be more than a fan of Jesus; we must be followers of Christ. Whereas a mere fan of Jesus might have outward signs of simple fondness for God, a committed follower is one who mimics Christ in His character, carries his cross daily and bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his life. In short, commitment to God means following Christ no matter what.
Jesus equates true commitment with real discipleship; Him being the master, we being the disciples. His desire for commitment is made known to us through Matthew 16:24-26. From this passage, we can learn three principles:
Lay Down – Denying Ourselves
Biblical selfdenial is different from the worldly understanding of denial. Self-denial is not the giving up of worldly things and non-essentials for the sake of a virtue; instead, it is prioritizing our relationship with God over everything else.
By giving up His life for all of us, Jesus became the ultimate example of self-denial. While we may cringe at the thought of losing everything, the irony in Jesus’ statement is that, living for Christ by denying the self-secured life.
Lift Up – Carrying our Crosses
Many understand the crosses in our lives to be the various trials and times of testing that come our way. Yet carrying our cross simply means that we consider ourselves as dead to sin (Gal. 2:20, 5:24). If we think about it, this battle is the real cross of our lives, because we can be so inclined to sin. Living like a dead person brings true life.
Live Out – Following Christ
Christianity is not a set of rules to follow; it is about following a real Person. The bottom line of being saved by His grace is to commit to Him with all our hearts. Again, we may worry that following Christ may disrupt our lives. Yet, as God assures us, living to follow Jesus brings true life.
What is holding us back from committing our whole lives to the Lord Jesus? The rewards of following Jesus are very great. On this earth, He will use our lives to make a difference in the lives of other people. Yet we can only do so if we have committed our entire selves to God for the sake of His kingdom. Let’s follow Him wholeheartedly and with action.
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