Commitment

(John 2:23-25)  Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Jesus did not commit Himself to those who had just believed in Him because he knew the nature of man. Man can be unreliable where situations do not favour him.  

After getting born again, one enters a lifelong journey of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. This journey shapes a believer into a mature Christian who is able to discern both good and evil. Baby Christians as the Bible says are in need of milk, not the meat of the word of God. It is not good to thrust them immediately into the ministry because they are novices. Secondly pride is likely to build up in them because of such a quick promotion which leads to their fall easily for pride comes before the fall.

There are levels of commitment even in the church. There are those who appear only on Sundays, then there are those who appear only on special days like Christmas and Easter, while there are those who are there for every program and not only that they serve and give much. Research has been made and showed that 80% of the work in the church is done by 20% of the congregation. They carry the heaviest load. This is not good for the life of the church because it means others are merely consumers. Such consumers are those that easily fall off by every whim, wind of doctrine because in the first place they are also not accountable. They easily sneak in and out of church without notice. They seek prayers, don’t study their Bibles and wonder what is wrong. All they know about God is what some popular artist sang in a song or popular meme running around social media. Their thinking is wrong because the only bible knowledge they have are the stories they heard in children’s church when they were young or in popular movies done after bible characters. This should not be so. Every believer should be excited about their relationship with the Lord and seek to pursue growth. Growth and revelations won't fall upon you like a ripe mango falling from a tree.

God’s revelations and mysteries are precious. He will not commit such true riches to those who won’t commit to go with Him for the long haul and who don’t commit regular quality and quantity time with Him. God is not stupid. He won’t cast pearls to swine however much He loves you. Everyone is free to respond to His immense love and care but promotion in the kingdom is for the committed ones. God won’t promote fools who will ashame his name. remember Saul, when he disobeyed God, God sought to replace him immediately who would later be David. God places a high standard on his ministers and those who seek to serve Him in a greater measure.

Ever wondered why some believers run around in circles every year and nothing changes about them, it is because they fail to commit. They have been prayed for by every big-name preacher but still they have nothing to show for it. The best things are obtained through commitment. If a student is not committed to his studies, they won’t excel. To some believers, they give God timelines beyond which their patience will run out and opt for plan B which is their own way.

(Luk 14:26)  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Jesus is asking us in Luke 14:26 all today to put Him first before the people who matter to us the most, and that is family. If you cannot do that, you cannot be truly His disciple. If what family is telling you is contrary to what God told you in His word, obey God instead of them. The word used there is hate. Hate there is to detest or to love less. Jesus’ words should be loved more than those of your family, boss etc. It is hard to obey this command if your dependence is on them. Depend on God entirely for your survival and sustenance and you will easily obey this command. This doesn’t mean don’t go to work though!

God desires the highest commitment. For the singles, would you prefer someone to offer you a relationship on short-term or for a lifetime till death does you apart? Obviously the later is best. No one would like to have a best friend every two months, such a turn over means something is not right. no one would desire a church member who changes churches every three months. Such a one would not benefit from the love and care given to long term committed members.

We have a slogan in church which says, “we are this together for life.” I either bury you or you bury me, but I will forever be your brother or sister, serving God with you for life. This is contrary to the fluid nature of believers today. This year you see them in this church, next year they are in another. They go with the crowds instead of settling in one are where they can grow in their giftings through serving the local church. I always look in awe when such people hop around from church to church.

Jesus’ disciples were with him for three and a half years. That is no short time. After his departure, they stayed committed to each other and to Him. what a pattern of doing things! No wonder they were promised thrones in heaven for being committed to Jesus.

There are rewards for strong commitment to a cause, in this case, Christ. Commitment to Christ entails commitment not only to Him you cannot see, but also to the believers, the ministry and the local church in which He has planted you.

EK