Committed?

 I was reading a devotional the other day on the topic of being committed, and the illustration that the author used to drive home the whole concept of what true commitment looks like really stuck with me. His words were, "Nails didn't keep Jesus on the cross, commitment did." Whoa, give that some thought for a second. Jesus, Son of God, the Creator of everything was crucified on a cross using a hammer and some nails. First, even that Jesus allowed that to happen is beyond our own understanding. The pain must have been excruciating, the suffering, the humiliation, but Jesus endured the it all because His commitment was set way before the blow was struck to that first nail. Was there a point where Jesus would have said enough, and gave up? Not possible. When man would have given up, Jesus stayed the course. Jesus, commitment in hand, went as far as to pray for those that had just beaten Him and nailed his body to the cross. Why would anyone endure that level of cruelty when all He had to do was blink an eye and His oppressors would have been decimated? That is where His commitment to mankind overruled what could have been a just and fair retribution. Commitment, let's dig into that concept just a little bit deeper. 

We all make commitments to do things, be places, be a part of a team or event, but in most cases those commitments are only as good as what our schedules will allow. We will be committed until there is a conflict in our already overloaded schedules, but when we reach that point we bow out. Is that really a commitment? You may be reading this, thinking "Who's he talking about, when I say I'm going to do something I do it!" Great, that is an area in your life where you have made a commitment decision and you are to be commended for that decision to stay the course in your daily life. I lean more to the thought that the bigger majority have some area of their lives that commitment might be an issue worth addressing. We commit to attend our church, and we commit to support certain ministries, but do we commit to be there regardless of what happens on our calendars? We commit to be on a team when we try out, and we commit to help a friend or family member move, but what line has to be crossed before we will break that commitment to be there? Those of us that are married, that service you attended and those vows you made, that was your commitment to your spouse, what line has to be crossed before it is okay to break that commitment? Since the divorce rate in the United States hovers around 50%, my guess is that commitment standard is pretty low. How about a commitment to your job, your neighbor, your family, or how about your commitment to God? When the going gets tough, the tough either get going, or they realize they aren't so tough after all and they "get going" out the door!

Nails being drove through the palms of your hands. Nails being driven through your feet. Already beaten near death, forced to carry your cross, the very cross you would be hung on, and then left hanging to die on that very cross. Makes our endurance look a little mild to me. What is our personal pain tolerance? What about our mental perception of where to draw the line as we commit ourselves in the various ways we encounter just doing life? Not feeling well, late night last night, heavy work load, or just really don't feel like following through, any of those sound familiar? We must realize that our commitment decisions have long term implications. The choices we make today whether to stick it out or to pack our bags will impact generations to come. In your family, the decisions you make about your commitments will impact your children's children (Proverbs 17:6)

We need to be thankful that Jesus was committed to seeing His Father's plan through to the end. If Jesus had put self first, He was human, who would have blamed Him for not wanting to endure the level of pain His persecutors were wielding? Yet He endured, Jesus stayed the course, when the easy thing to do would have seemed alright, Jesus was committed because his commitment had long term implications for each of us. Jesus sacrificed what would have felt better for Him, so that you and I could have a pathway to eternal life. 

After reading that line in my devotion I had to ask myself, what does my commitment level really look like? I can do better. In your own walk of life what are you committed to and how committed are you? When things get a little tough is it time to bow out, or is it time to dig in? If there is one commitment that you should have that is a nonnegotiable I believe it would be in our relationship with God. If you are committed to serving Him, then everything else will fall into place. Committed?

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3

Coach Carter