Unusual Commitment . . .

Unusual Commitment

Many people today want to get as much as they can for themselves while giving as little in return as possible. They want to be there for their friends in the good times, but absent in the not-so-good ones. Sadly, national stats confirm this lack of commitment. The marriage rate is down while the divorce rate is up. Actual involvement in ministry and worthy causes that help the needy are all down. Why? Because people don't want to put themselves on the line, or be pinned down by responsibility. We often view opportunities to serve others as obligations, therefore we avoid them. We are a sound bite generation with short attention spans, accustomed to 10 second advertisement and fast food. We want our sermons simple, entertaining, and "feel-good". Yes, unusual commitment is rare, but it is what God requires of each of us. Commitment means your promise is binding whether it's convenient or not. Check out this example: Commitment to marriage. Marriage, as God sees it, isn't a fifty-fifty arrangement It's a mutual agreement to give 100 percent of ourselves. It's a lifetime covenant between you and your spouse: for better or worse; for richer or poorer; in sickness and in health; until parted by death." That covenant is simply easier to live up to when both partners have, learned like Paul, to say "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). That means that dying to self-interest is the key to great relationships.