Running from Commitment

I want to start off this weekly email and say congratulations to Pastor Harold and June Hein. Tomorrow is their 60th wedding anniversary. Wow! What a blessing. The first week in September also marks 60 years since Pastor Hein was ordained. We are so thankful for this couple and the blessing they are to our Lord of Life family. They are such a great example of commitment which was exactly what I wanted to talk about in this week?s email.

If there is nothing worth dying for, there is nothing worth living for. Commitment is a necessary part of becoming all that God wants us to become. Most people will skip out on commitment when it gets hard. As a result they go from one shallow experience to the next, never accomplishing anything significant in life.

We see people skip from marriage to marriage, church to church, and job to job. They keep chasing in the next new adventure looking for what was missing in the previous experience. But what is missing cannot be found in the new adventure. It can only be found within themselves. It is commitment!

There are many factors that work against commitment.

• Resistance. There will come a time when we will meet resistance and push back. Rather than fight, we will lay down our boxing gloves and run the other direction.

• Novelty. There is always something new, something that is shinier, sleeker, or speedier. The novelty is enticing. It draws us away from our old and outdated and uninspiring routines.

• Distraction and Restlessness. A beautiful day. An exciting adventure novel. The prospect of golf or fishing. A trip to the mall. The possibilities are endless. They all distract us from sitting down and doing the hard work to fulfill our commitment.

• Lack of fulfillment. Commitment is not always exciting. There are season where it is dry, dull, and boring. It feels unfulfilling because it feels like I am only being poured out, but there is nothing being poured into me. Commitment is not always about going out in a blaze of glory on the battle field to be saluted for your bravery and sacrifice. More often commitment looks like the tired parent getting up for yet another feeding in the middle of the night. It is sitting down at the computer to do the work to meet the deadline. It is continuing to pour into the marriage when not experiencing love in return. Commitment is not always exciting, but it is rewarding. There are seasons and years that seem unfulfilling, but this time is often necessary for God to empty us of ourselves, so that in the end he might fill us with more of himself.

• Pride. Pride keeps us from doing the right thing. It is uncomfortable to humble ourselves to ask for help. We would rather fail on our commitment than ask for the help we need.

• Messy Relationships. It is easier to break ties and make new friends than it is to do the hard work of repairing the old. I shared a few weeks back how people are messy. When things get messy, we will wipe our hands and move on. We will let someone else deal with the mess. But we loose out. When we abandon relationships that we think are too messy to deal with, we never experience the deep and enduring relationships Jesus invites us into.

Commitment is tough. But commitment is worth it. Jeff Goins writes: ?There is a profound spiritual value in making commitments. By moving to a more committed lifestyle, you learn how to be a friend, meet a deadline, follow through on a task, and push through a challenge. Commitments help us become better people.?

I know that there are some commitments you have dropped the ball on. That?s ok. Today can be the day to make a new start. The only way to fail is to quit. What commitment is God calling you back to? Is it making a commitment to a relationship? A spiritual discipline? A fitness activity? A Church? A ministry? A job? A mission trip? A calling? A responsibility? A Savior?

It?s never too late. Embrace the struggle. Discover the reward. Well done good and faithful servant!

Source: http://www.philressler.com/weekly-email/running-from-commitment/

eddie murphy daniel tosh kate upton Jason Kidd All Star Game 2012 directv rashard lewis