THE COMMITMENTS
Psalm 61:8 (NIV)
Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.
Psalm 15:4-5b (NLT)
Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Such people will stand firm forever!
Psalm 89:33
But I will never stop loving Him nor fail to keep my promise to Him!
What exactly does the word “commitment” mean to you? What precisely does the word “vow” mean to you? What do you think the word “promise” actually means?
Truthfully, this word has lost almost all of its meaning today. People fail in their commitments and break their promises all the time. It has become the normal, accepted way of life. Millions upon millions of people stand before God and their friends and family, declaring to another their undying commitment, and when the going gets tough, they get going. Marriage commitment has become a colossal joke in our time.
I will tell you a profound truth. This word commitment, illustrated in these Bible verses, has been a guiding light, an anchor in an ocean of uncertainty, of fluctuating feelings and emotions, and the changing circumstances of my life. I made a commitment to the Lord, I made a commitment to my wife and I will never, ever, ever go back on that commitment, break my promise, nor fail to strive every single day to fulfill my vow to God, to Kathy, and my children. No matter what it cost me, no matter how much it hurts, no matter how unloved, unappreciated, or disrespected I may feel, no matter how hard it gets, I made a commitment to Kathy 41 years ago that I would love her, lay down my life for her, serve her, and devote myself to caring for her. I made a commitment that I would strive to be the best husband I could be, the most God-honoring man I could be, and the best father I could be to our children, who trained and led them in the ways of God. My commitment did not depend on her or her performance. My commitment depended on me and my promise to her and God. I have not deviated from that commitment, from the promise that I made. This has been a great secret to my growing, meaningful marriage. I determined, based on the commitment I made, that no matter whether I felt my wife was giving her best or not, or if she did not treat me as I felt I should be treated, I made a commitment and promise that I would honor God and honor her, and do everything in my power, day by day, to strive to be a loving husband, to grow in every way I can to be a more Christ-like man, husband, and father. In other words, I intentionally work hard every day to live out my commitment. My commitment guides every single decision that I make. My commitment is my true north.
This is what gives me the determination to fight with my feelings, to overcome and defeat the negative emotions that rage inside me at times. This is what gives me the determination and the will to beat my body and make it my slave. To overcome my bad habits and build and maintain godly habits! I am striving, and fighting every single day to fulfill the commitments I made. This is why I maintain my spiritual disciplines and spiritual habits. This is why I maintain my physical exercises. This is why I strive to be diligent with our finances, frugal, wise, generous, content, and restrained. This is why I work so hard to love my children, pursue them, and help them in every way I can. I made a commitment to serve the Lord my whole life. When one avenue of service was taken from me, I found another.
I MADE COMMITMENTS THAT ARE SET IN STONE IN MY HEART!
Let me ask you this: Are you living out your commitments? Are they guiding you each day of your life to make the choices you need to make to fulfill your commitments?
If not, it’s time you sat down, seriously refocused, and wrote down exactly what it is you have committed to and start living them out.
YOU WILL BECOME WHAT YOU COMMIT TO!
YOU WILL NEVER ACHIEVE WHAT YOU ARE UNWILLING TO COMMIT TO!
