Commitment to the Lord

by Jerry Joseph

    Commitment to the Lord is deciding to be more like the Lord in our attitudes and actions.  It is saying, "Where He Leads Me I Will Follow."  It is saying, "Not my will, but thine be done."  The Lord himself declared, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul" (Matthew 16:24-26).

    The Lord must be first in our lives.  Spiritual matters must be a priority in our lives.  This is clearly taught by the Lord when he said, "But seek the first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).  In Matthew 6:24, He said, "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

    To be committed to the Lord means that we must first be converted.  Where there is no conversion there is no commitment to the Lord.  We cannot be committed to Him without first becoming a child of God, a Christian.  Only by obeying His Word in submitting to His terms for forgiveness of sins, will there be conversion (Matthew 18:1-4; 13:19; 7:21-23; John 8:24; Luke 13:3; Matthew 10:32-33; Mark 16:16).

    To be committed to the Lord is to comply with His commands.  The Lord demands obedience from His followers (Matthew 6:24).  We cannot pick and choose what we want to do and how we are going to live and serve Him.  The Lord has already determined that in His Word.  Our commitment to the Lord must be without any reservations.  We must not be reluctant to serve and follow him.   Where there is commitment to the Lord there will be a complying with His commands.

    To be committed to the Lord demands courage and conviction.  “Finally, by brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10).  We are to add to our lives “virtue”, that is “moral courage.”  The need for moral courage is evident when there are those who are wanting to compromise the Truth.  Some want others to view them as “strong in the faith” while at the same time not standing for that which is good and right.  One cannot have it both ways.  To fail to take a stand for the Truth, because of a lack of courage or any other reason, is  showing a lack of commitment to the Lord.

    Our loyalty to God is not a matter of convenience.  The Lord never said, "I want you to obey me if it is convenient for you".  Our commitment to the Lord stems from "conviction" not "convenience.”

Are You Truly Committed To The Lord?