Commitment (1)

Commitment is asked of us in numerous areas throughout our lives:  marriage vows, appointments, work, volunteer jobs, friendships, contracts, bill paying, promises made to parents or children, getting to work or school on time, etc.  Commitment takes effort.  God invites us to live a satisfying life by making and honoring healthy commitments.

Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  (Psalm 37:3-7a NLT)

We may dream of chasing the next horizon with nothing more than a backpack.  Life is "always greener on the other side", or so the saying goes.  We live in a world that expects us to look out for ourselves, take the best deal when we can get it, and only worry about the next guy when it doesn't get in the road of your own progress. 

God asks something quite different of us.  God asks us to be with each other in love through good times and bad.  God invites us to wait patiently for things to work out. Even when we don’t see it God is working things together for our good in a variety of situations.  Sometimes it means staying in a marriage that has problems. Sometimes it means remaining in a job even though there are some relationship issues.  Sometimes it’s sticking with a recovery program that currently doesn't make much sense to us.  At other times it's doing what a trusted friend or sponsor suggests to us even though we don't feel like it.  God wants us to give our word to one another when it is appropriate and to keep our word.  Commitment is one of the ways we encourage, strengthen, and take care of one another.

Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him, and he will help you.  (Psalm 37:5 NLT)

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