How Do YOU Spell Commitment?
Our dear friend and Rabbi of blessed memory opened a dialogue one day with the following question:
“Do you know how most people spell commitment?”
Now Rabbi was not trying to introduce a lesson in spelling. His question had a deeper purpose than that. When his audience was stumped and had no response, Rabbi answered the question:
“C-O-N-V-I-E-N-C-E.”
“Most people,” he continued on, “are only committed to G-d (or anything else for that matter) when it is convenient for them to do so. If any other activity or a difficult circumstance comes along, their commitment waivers.”
Rabbi’s observations were and are true. How many times do we miss a worship service because we have another activity that we want to attend? How often do we stay home, because we just don’t “feel” like going? Has our personal comfort and self-centered pleasure taken first place in our lives?
How should we as disciples of Messiah spell commitment? Those ten letters stand for 10 important principles that need to be present in our lives. It all begins with a “C.”
C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T
“C” stands for conviction. We must be firm in our belief that G-d is who He says He is. We make a choice to love the L-rd our G-d with all our heart, and serve Him only. It is not something we do to impress others This is not done to win the favors of a parent or member of the opposite sex. We make this choice by our own free will. Either we are for G-d, or we are against G-d. There is no middle ground with Him. (see Rev. 3:15-22)
C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T
“O” signifies obedience to the Word of HaShem. If it were not important for us to know and do the things written in the Bible, G-d would not have included them in the text. “All Scripture is G-d-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living; 17 thus anyone who belongs to G-d may be fully equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T
Our life and our actions should be motivated by our heart’s desire to do the work of G-d. His work should be our passion. “Whatever work you do, put yourself into it, as those who are serving not merely other people, but the L-rd.” (Colossians 3:23)
C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T
We are to be molded into the image of His Son. “Never lie to one another; because you have stripped away the old self, with its ways, 10 and have put on the new self, which is continually being renewed in fuller and fuller knowledge, closer and closer to the image of its Creator. 11 The new self allows no room for discriminating between Gentile and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, foreigner, savage, slave, free man; on the contrary, in all, the Messiah is everything.” (Colossians 3:9-11)
C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T
We are to be invested and involved in His Kingdom. Where is your treasure? Is it buried in your IRA account or in your stock portfolio? “...make for yourselves purses that don’t wear out, riches in heaven that never fail, where no burglar comes near, where no moth destroys. 34 For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:33-34)
C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T
We must be tenacious in clinging to G-d. Our grip must be firm, we should hold on to G-d so we cannot be pulled from our faith in Him. Remember the three men in the fiery furnace. They took a stand against a whole nation and would not bow down to an idol. (Daniel 3) We may face some difficult days ahead, but our L-rd encourages us by His words in Revelation 2:25: “...hold fast to what you have until I come.”
C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T
We must move in the direction that G-d shows us. Sometimes those around us can try to persuade us to take another path. One of the twelve disciples was used by the Adversary to try to affect the walk of Messiah. Yeshua responded, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an obstacle in My path, because your thinking is from a human perspective, not from G-d’s perspective!” (Matthew 16:23)
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We should be energized, enthused and encouraged by our walk with the L-rd. “Praised be G-d, Father of our L-rd Yeshua the Messiah, compassionate Father, G-d of all encouragement and comfort; 4 who encourages us in all our trials, so that we can encourage others in whatever trials they may be undergoing with the encouragement we ourselves have received from G-d.”
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
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We are new creations in Messiah. “Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation—the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new! 18 And it is all from G-d, who through the Messiah has reconciled us to Himself and has given us the work of that reconciliation, 20 Therefore we are ambassadors of the Messiah; in effect, G-d is making His appeal through us. What we do is appeal on behalf of the Messiah, “Be reconciled to G-d! (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, 20)
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The truth of the Good News is this: “ For G-d gave us a Spirit who produces not timidity, but power, love and self-discipline. 8 So don’t be ashamed of bearing testimony to our L-rd ... On the contrary, accept your share in suffering disgrace for the sake of the Good News. G-d will give you the strength for it, 9 since He delivered us and called us to a life of holiness as His people. It was not because of our deeds, but because of His own purpose and the grace which He gave to us who are united with the
Messiah Yeshua. He did this before the beginning of time, 10 but made it public only now through the appearing of our Deliverer, the Messiah Yeshua, who abolished death and, through the Good News, revealed life and immortality.” (2 Timothy 1:7-10)
Dear friend, decide in your heart how you will spell commitment. Will it be c-o-n-v-i-e-n-c-e or C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T?
