Renew Our Commitment

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/27fdfa

Divorces are unfortunately a part of our culture. Various studies have been done to determine why marriages fail and why divorce is so often the course of action after a problem. Infidelity, money problems, lack of intimacy, fell out of love, problems with children and many other reasons could be cited. However, the number one cause for divorces today is simply a failure to live up to our commitments.

Religiously many relationships fail as well and for the same reason. People forget and fall out of love with God. They forget their promise of fidelity and follow after other gods. They fail to have the intimacy with God as they stop speaking with Him in prayer and stop listening to Him from the Bible. Sometimes they separate from God because they can’t get along with some of His children.

But unlike a marriage where certainly one and most likely both parties share in the blame, our failure to keep our commitments to God is totally ours. God is faithful in all things. We are not. Friends, we need to renew our commitment!

God offers us so many blessings, yet we often leave them unclaimed. Notice what David writes in Psalm 34:8-9.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

It is possible for us to love God and then forget about it. The church in Ephesus did this. In Revelation 2:1-5, Jesus praises them for their good works, but says, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

Isn’t that terrible to think that even though they had been doing so many good things they had forgotten about loving God? Friends, that could happen to any Christian, any church, any where. We must be careful to renew and maintain our commitment to God!

The church in Laodicea was also addressed by Jesus, this time in Revelation 3:14-15. “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

In both situations Jesus is speaking to Christians. In the first passage they had done great works, but had lost their love for God. In the second, they were not doing the right things and were repulsive to the Lord. In neither case was the Lord satisfied with their standing. Friends we need to renew our commitment to the Lord!

How shall we go about to renew our commitment? Here are three suggestions.

1. Humble ourselves. James says in James 4:7-10 that if we humble ourselves that He will lift us up.

2. Purge all sin from our lives. You can read about the sins of Achan in Joshua 7. His attempt at keeping back and hiding some of the spoils of war cost Israel a defeat at Ai. There was sin in the camp and that goes against our commitment to God.

3. Call on God for renewal and restoration. Pray, ask, receive. David prayed for renewal in Psalm 51:10. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” David had just been exposed for his sins and he turned to God for renewal.

In marriages, many people will say “I do” and never mean it. Others will say “I do” and mean it, but later will lose that commitment. Some will say “I do” and mean it and work a lifetime to keep that commitment going.

The same is true of our commitment to God. Some never intend to be faithful. Others intend to do so but stop growing and fade away to other loves. Few will mean it, keep it and live as they should.

Friends, the choice is entirely up to us. Are you ready to be committed to God?

On Our Daily Walk today, may we pray our thanks to God for sending His Son to die for us. May we not take lightly the sacrifice made on our behalf and may we act today to obey that precious gospel which is the power of God unto salvation.

Our thought for the day: “He who would be great must be fervent in his prayers, fearless in his principles, firm in his purposes, and faithful in his promises.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.