BEING COMMITTED
James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will
deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which
thou hast set up.
2 Tim 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I
have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
2 Tim 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath
chosen him to be a soldier.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider
him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
The outcome of one's life depends on two things:
(1) What goals he is committed to (2) the strength of his commitments.
The Necessity of Commitment
No one would deny the importance of commit-ment in the normal, healthy life. Reverend Kenneth Haney in his book, The
Twentieth Century Church of Power, tells of a minister who sought his advice concerning running for a political office.
Reverend Haney's suggestion was that he should make up his mind which field he wanted to labor in and pur-sue it with
undivided interest. He understood that the man could not be totally committed to both tasks, and if he attempted to do
both, neither would receive the attention and dedication it demanded.
The apostle Paul wrote essentially the same thing to a young minister of his day telling him, "No man that warreth
entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (H
Timothy 2:4). Paul was not suggesting that Timothy live a monk-like existence, secluded from the business of the world.
He was merely emphasizing the importance of being strongly committed to the proper things.
The apostle James added his insight to those who have trouble making strong commitments: "A double minded man is
unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). Probably he had seen those who could not make up their minds and who lacked
the ability to make strong commitments end in frustration and confu-sion.
An old book, In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon, tells of a fictitious group of townspeople who agreed together to put
Jesus first in everything they did. They agreed to an experiment in which, prior to making any decisions, they would ask
themselves, "What would Jesus do if He were here?" They would then act upon what they deemed the answer to be. The
interesting story tells of dra-matic changes that came to their individual lives and to their town. But commitment to God's
will must be more than an experiment; it must become a daily practice.
Strong Commitments
The Bible gives us many good examples of those who were committed to proper goals, and whose commitments were
sufficiently strong to overcome challenges.
Daniel is one of them. As & young Jewish captive, he worked his way into the favor of his captors and, became a
powerful figure in Babylon. He was not without his detractors, however, and they sought ways to destroy his political
influence and have him killed. So strong was his commitment to God that his enemies recognized that the only way they
could cause him to displease the king was to force him to choose whether to honor his commitment to God or his
allegiance to the king (Daniel 6:5).
Daniel went to the lions' den accepting the death punishment rather than to break his commitment to pray to God (Daniel
6:14-16). That God spared him from death makes a beautiful conclusion to the story, but it is imperative that we
understand that Daniel did not assume deliverance was assured; he was pre-pared to die rather than violate his
commitment.
There were also Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel received permission from the king to elevate these three
Hebrew men to positions of importance in the kingdom; it was said of them that they were over the affairs of the
province. However, they also had their detractors who set a trap for the trio, enacting a law which specified certain times
at which all men were to fall down and worship a golden image the king had set up. The three Hebrews refused to bow
and worship. When they were arrested for their "crime," their reply revealed the strength of their commitment: "If it be
so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine
hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden
image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:17-18).
John the Baptist was another committed one, and his commitment may well have cost him his life. "Repent!" was his
message, and he preached it to the poor and to the rich. Even Herod's adultery was not off-limits to John's preaching. His
commitment can be seen in a gory scene in which a servant entered Herod's chambers carrying the bloody head of John on
a charger to satisfy the whim of a giddy girl.
Jesus Christ was committed, and because He was, Calvary was inevitable. "O my Father, if this cup may not pass
away from me, except I drink it," He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "thy will be done" (Matthew 26:42). It
was His commitment to His Father's will that helped Him remain silent before His accusers. It was His commitment that
enabled Him to endure the scourging, to drag His weary and beaten body up Golgotha's rugged hill, and voluntarily lay
His outstretched palms upward to receive the brutal nails from hardened men.
The apostle Paul was a committed man. His commitment was deeply felt when he uttered. "Are they ministers of
Christ? . . . I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths
oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned,
thrice I suffered ship-wreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters,
in perils of
robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in per-ils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the
wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in
hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in coldand nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which
cometh upon me daily, the care of all thechurches.... Therefore I take pleasure in infirmi-ties, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.... And I will
very gladly spend
and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved" (II Corinthians 11:2328; 12:10,15).
Paul's commitment to a cause was stronger than his need for companionship. It was stronger than his need for love. It
was stronger than his desire for comfort and ease.
Weak Commitments
There are other examples of men in the Bible which show us the result of weak commitments. They may have been
committed to the right things, but their commitments were not sufficient to over-come certain challenges.
King Saul, Israel's first king, who found favor with God, is an example of a man whose com-mitments were weak.
He was a good man and a good king, but for some reason, his commitment to obey God weakened in time. The prophet
of God rebuked him: "Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of
the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice" (I Samuel 15:22). God rejected him. "Because thou hast
rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king" (I Samuel 15:23). And Saul eventually
ended his life in a sad episode of suicide (I Samuel 31:4).
A rich ruler who came to Jesus was a good man, for he had kept all the law from his youth (Matthe\v 19:20).
He was clearly committed to his riches more than to following Jesus, even though it is obvious that he recognized in
Jesus something of His deity (Matthew 19:16-22). He asked Jesus theway to eternal life, but he went away sorrowfully.
His commitment to the pursuit of eternal life was not as strong as his commitment to be rich.
Demas was a man who was privileged to travel with the apostle Paul. Yet Paul wrote concerning him: "Demas hath
forsaken me, having loved this present world" (It Timothy 4:10). Demas was a committed Christian once But his
commitment to God was eventually overshadowed by his desire for worldly things. Although it is not known what things
Demas preferred, it really does not matter. The sad fact is that his commitment was not to God. The same thing is
sometimes repeated today. Some men serve God for a while, and then, when the pressure intensifies, their commitment
to God and to Christian living is not sufficient to endure a test.
Judas Iscariot had the distinct honor of being one of twelve men chosen by Jesus to be His first followers. Judas was
committed until almost the end. He endured three years of controversy. But when a woman anointed the feet of Jesus
with a costly ointment, Judas complained over what he saw as a waste. "Why was not this ointment sold for three
hundred pence, and given to the poor?" (John 12:5). But the next verse of Scripture charges that he did not really
care about the poor; he was himself a thief. It is probable that Jesus' rebuke over his con-cern for money stung him and
prompted him to betray Him (Matthew 26:14; Mark 14:10). Judas had been committed to following Jesus, but in the end,
his commitment to other things was stronger than his commitment to be right.
Wrong Commitments
The Bible also gives us examples of men who were strongly committed, but to the wrong things.
A certain rich man was called a fool because he "layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke
12:21). He was committed to building bigger and greater barns in which to store his excessive fruits. He should have
been committed to God.
The Pharisees were called "blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" (Matthew 23:24). Jesus also
called them "hypocrites" (Matthew 23:29) and "serpents . . . generation of vipers" (Mat-thew 23:33). What did the
Pharisees do to earn such a scathing rebuke? They remained committed to their traditions instead of to truth (Matthew
15:3-9).
Pontius Pilate examined Jesus, and havingdone so found no fault in Him (John 18:38). When the Jews put pressure
on him, the object of Pilate's commitments became obvious. He knew Jesus was not worthy of death, but he was
commit-ted to his position. His friendship with Caesar was critical to his success, so when the choice had to be made, it
was Caesar over Jesus (John 19:12).
The Apostolic Commitments
Every Christian attempting to set in order the priorities of his life should begin with the following goals.
Faith in God. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that dili-gently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). A person's faith in Jesus Christ must be
firmly established.
Faith in God's Word. Christians may read other books if they choose, but they should never read other works as a
primary source of knowledge about God. That is the reason He gave us His Word. We are to read it and learn how to live
the overcoming life "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that 1 might not sin against thee," wrote the inspired
psalmist (Psalm 119:11). Much later John wrote, "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God
perfected: hereby know we that we are in him" (I John 2:5).
Obedience. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17). "But wilt thou know, O vain
man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20). "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not
by faith only" (James 2:24). If a man really believes and if his faith in God is genuine, he will want to obey every
command from God. Therefore, after having established his faith, it is imperative that a new Christian learn obedience to
God's Word.
Studying the Bible. "Study to shew thyself ap-proved unto God" (II Timothy 2:15). Christians may find approval
with God by studying His Word. But this verse is more than a commandment to study; it identifies the proper motives for
study—to be ap-proved of God. As you begin your new life in Christ, you will want to study His Word more. But do not
study to prove your doctrines. Do not study to be sharper than someone in your family, to be able to dispute theo-ries.
Rather, we should study to be approved of God. This verse tells us that when we read the Bible we should read it
looking for God's requirements for us.
Prayer. Jesus did not say, "If you pray. . . ." He said, "When you pray . . ." (Matthew 6:5). Prayer is as natural to the
spiritual man as breath is to the nat-ural man. The Bible is clear concerning the need for prayer in the Christian's life.
"Pray without ceasing" (I Thes-salonians 5:17). "Continue in prayer" (Colossians 4:2). "And he spake a parable
unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). "Praying always ..."
(Ephesians 6:18). "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands" (I Timothy 2:8).
Our commitment to prayer must be as Paul's; we will not say, "I'll try," but, like Paul, we will say, "I will pray
..." (I Corinthians 14:15).
Attendance to Church. "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more,
as ye see the day ap-proaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Attending church faithfully is much more critical to spiritual
health than the average new Christian often realizes. Since the first priority in our lives ought to be faith, what better
place is there to develop faith than in the assembly of God's people hearing God's Word preached? "So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Paul asked, "How shall they hear without
a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).
It is interesting to note that in the prophetic an-nouncements of Revelation, only "churches" re-ceived any word
from God. One would have to wonder what happened to those independent souls who, for whatever reasons,
refused to align them-selves with the local church of their day and area.
The Outcome of Your Life
The outcome of your life is dependent on two things: what goals you are committed to and how strong those
commitments are.