Hello friends and welcome to our second leadership education session.
I am filled with excitement as we enter this new chapter in leadership training. I find I am learning a great deal through the teaching of wise men such as Dr. Roland, Cyrus and Anthony. However, our purpose in these talks is not just to increase our knowledge of Christ, right living and/or leadership ability, but it is to call forth a specific active response to God in the way we live.
So, it is appropriate that our topic this week is on commitment. The subject of commitment runs through the whole Bible, and it lies at the heart of our relationship with God. Throughout the Bible we are given examples of God’s commitment for us and his call for commitment from us. As we learn of Jesus’ love for us, it will draw into further commitment to Him. This will impact the way we love, lead and respond in daily life.
The writer of Hebrews describes our Lord’s commitment and our response to Him in these words, “’I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. ‘” (Heb. 13:5-6).
All of the commitments we make should flow from the commitment God has first made to us. Once God committed himself to our highest good, his will toward us was sealed. God tells us that he is committed to all who are in Christ, and that our relationship with him will last forever. Jeremiah 31:31-36 shows us the covenant of commitment the Lord made with his people:
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. declares the Lord.”
In spite of the rebelliousness of the people of Judah, the Lord assured them through the prophet Jeremiah that he was committed to their ultimate good. He says in Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
God’s Commitment to us is shown greatest in Jesus. The Bible tells us “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). When we love God, it is “because he first loved us” as it says in 1 John 4:19.
The Bible tells us that “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). That is the full measure of His commitment towards us, my friends.
As followers of Christ, the single most important commitment of our lives is to God. Any lasting success we experience as leaders will flow from that commitment. This is why the apostle Paul writes: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The word “Therefore” points to all the apostle has written in the previous 11 chapters. In light of God’s mercy, which justifies, sanctifies and will someday glorify us, we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to him. In other words, we should allow God’s mercy to accomplish this additional work in our lives. We should let it drive us to absolute commitment.
We should be motivated by God’s Love to devote ourselves to him. When we take this step, we’re acknowledging Christ’s leadership in our lives. We sacrifice our desires and ambitions as we strive to align ourselves with God’s will. Once we do this, our talents and dreams will be surrendered to his purpose. And the more we give ourselves to him, the more he will bless and use us.
So my friends, what does this look like practically, in our everyday lives?
Well, I have been married for 14 years to my amazing wife Amanda. And our marriage is strong because we have made a commitment to each other. And that was not just a commitment made on our wedding day. It is something we must practice every day. We have to put each other’s needs before our own, we have to deny temptation, we have to demonstrate love, compassion and grace even when we do not feel it is justified.
The apostle Paul used the marriage relationship to illustrate our relationship with Christ (Eph. 5:22). “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”
When we daily trust or yield ourselves to Christ, there is a true commitment just like in a healthy marriage.
The Bible tells us to “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Through the love of God, we are given greater capacity to love God and others. This will take the form of forgiveness, grace, sacrifice, joy, and service.
I want to end by sharing with you two markers of a committed Christian. I tell you these biblical truths not because I have obtained them. I need God’ grace as I fall short often. But I tell them to you because they will help all become more committed to our Lord and Savior as leaders, members of our communities, and followers of Jesus.
The first is a whole-hearted focus on the Glory of God:
The committed Christian is preoccupied and focused on the Lord’s glory. The very purpose for which we exist is to give glory to God, so it is right that this is the first mark of a committed Christian. The goal of our lives should be to live not for our satisfaction, but rather to give glory to God. As we focus on His glory, we will not be concerned with our own glory. our motive, theme, goal, reason, and purpose is to give the Lord glory in everything we do. Our life reflects the attributes of God, and God is praised by the way we live. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us this, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
The second marker of a committed Christian is An Unfailing Love for the Children of God:
Not only is the committed disciple focused on God’s glory, but he also is filled with His love. Perhaps this distinguishing mark of the committed Christian is the most significant of all in terms of practical living.
Jesus tells us in His word that love would be their primary distinguishing mark: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Those words of Christ had such a profound impact on the apostle John that he made them his life’s message. He repeated it in 1 John 3:11: “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
As believers in Christ, we have a new God-given capacity to love. What kind of love marks a true disciple? Jesus said, “Love one another, even as I have loved you.” That sets the standard high, doesn’t it? Jesus’ love is selfless, sacrificial, understanding, and forgiving. Unless we pursue a love is like that, we cannot demonstrate our commitment to Jesus fully.
Friends, would you take a moment and sit quietly before the Lord. Listen for His voice, His peace. Pray about your own personal commitment to Jesus and how that translates into your role in ILF, your community, your family. Then please respond to the group with God is speaking to you.
What is one way you can express your commitment to Jesus this week?
