Isaiah 6:8 -9a: Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I: Here am I; send me. And he said: Go and tell this people.....
There are at least 4 areas of our lives where we the children of God must show true committment:
I. The committment we make to God is a life of self denial. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-26: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up the cross and follow me". For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but, whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it. For, what is a man’s advantage if he gains the whole world and lose himself or be cast away?
God promises that if you will yield your "self" rights to Him, He will do whatever is best in your life to give you maximum fulfillment and spiritual maturity. Believe it or not, this means you can even have joy in the midst of problems, that is, if you believe that God hears you and will answer you when you call on him. He knows your requests, He knows your needs, and He is listening to you.
II. Our Committment to Jesus Christ "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple"
(Luke 14:27).
There are many dedicated Christians who are willing to accept God's direction at any moment and surrender their jobs, homes, and comforts to accomplish their assigned tasks. However, they do not represent a majority within the Christian community.
In the US, we have an "Americanized standard" for Christian service that seemingly requires very little of us. It yields a sizable body of believers, many who never fully mature beyond just being saved. It obvious in God's discipleship plan that some adversity and self-denial are necessary ingredients for spiritual maturity. One has to wonder what Bible some Christians read if all they are willing to believe is promises of perfect health, unlimited success, and permanent residence at the location of their choice without equally accepting that in everyone's life, some "rain" must fall. It is a true saying: "Nothing will ever happen though you until....something has happened to you!" Commitment to the Lordship of Christ means that we must be willing to go where God desires us to go and when God determines we should go in order that we can best be utilized by him for the kingdom. There's a hymn that goes something like this: "I'll go where You want me to go, Dear Lord; I'll do what You want me to do."
- The apostle Paul describes us as soldiers in God's army, and we are admonished not to get so caught up in the everyday affairs of this life that we take ourselves out of the battle.
- Remember that in Ps 91 we read, "He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.
III. A Life Committed to Constant and Consistent PRAYER:
Pray without ceasing and be instant in prayer praying with and praying for people and for yourself. A life marked by daily answer to prayer is the proof of our spiritual maturity; that we have indeed attained to the true abiding in Christ; that our will is truly at one with God's will; that our faith has grown strong to see and take what God has prepared for us; that the Name of Christ and His nature have taken full possession of us; and that we have been found fit to take a place among those whom God admits to His counsels, and according to whose prayer He rules the world. These are they in whom something of man's original dignity hath been restored, in whom, as they abide in Christ, His power as the all-prevailing Intercessor can manifest itself, in whom the glory of His Name is shown forth. Prayer is very blessed; the answer is more blessed still, as the response from the Father that our prayer, our faith, our will are indeed as He would wish them to be.
IV. A life Committed to the Study of The Word of God
The Psalmist who wrote Psalms 1 put it in proper perspective: Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But, his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night. The Psalmist said if we delight in the study of God's Holy Word, we weill be like a tree that is planted (stable and steadfast) by the rivers of waters. We will bring forth our fruit in our season, our leaves will not wither and whatever we do will be prosperous. We will not be like the ungodly who are like the chaff that the wind drives away. Jesus said: The Word of God is lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We must depend upon the Word of God to guide us in every area of our lives. Be blessed and highly favored of God on th
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