We live in a world of,
Hey,
I want that.
What will you give me for it?
That sounds a bit backwards,
Doesn't it?
I want something you're offering,
But I'm expecting you to give me an immediate reward for my agreement to commit.
It is very interesting in this world of ours that we expect immediate fruit from our commitments.
When we sign contracts,
We want immediate perks and bonuses,
Though we have not invested in one day's worth of work.
We want free trials to see what a product or service will do for us in the end before we commit to a beginning.
We have come to rely on this backwards logic so regularly that we will turn away from a job,
A product,
Or a service even if it is exactly what we were looking for.
So what do you make of a God that responds to your prayer request with an expectation of commitment before you get to the fruit?
God knows that we are too easily taken in by the ooh-shiny.
He knows that our ability to evaluate the worth of something is highly flawed.
We are like the proverbial child who pitches a fit to get the toy advertised on TV just to show 10 minutes worth of interest in it before we are pitching a fit for the next new thing.
Let's face it,
Folks.
Our ability to show consistent interest or dedication to anything is seriously lacking.
And we pay for our lack of commitment.
We suffer every time we take the easy path,
The shortcut.
We base our relationships on our immediate needs,
And then we are surprised that the relationship goes no deeper than that and quickly fizzles out,
Leaving us lonely again.
We join weight loss programs that promise results within a week,
And it does deliver,
But then you gain the weight back the minute you go off the program and back to your regular eating habits.
So you come to God with your request after realizing that you cannot achieve nor maintain on your own,
And God asks you for commitment.
Here are seven aspects of commitment that God is actually asking you for.
Number one,
God is asking for a relationship.
God is not a genie.
You don't come to him with requests,
Get what you want,
And then disappear until you need something again.
Think about how you would feel when the only time you hear from that friend is when they want to borrow money or vent about their life circumstances.
You want to be a friend and you want to be there for that person when they need you.
But when you want to spend time with them or when you want to talk about your own stuff,
They are nowhere to be found.
How does that make you feel?
God doesn't want to just give you stuff.
He wants to co-create with you.
He wants to show you that when you have a relationship with God,
You can create a beautiful life and have impact with your fellow human to create a beautiful world.
But you can't get that if the relationship is one-sided.
So commit to establishing a deeper connection with God.
Seek to understand him as he understands you.
Number two,
God is asking for your trust.
God knows what you want,
And he knows that you are not currently in a position to receive it and use it wisely.
God wants to give to you,
But he wants you to be able to get it and keep it.
So he develops you.
To be straightforward,
That will take time.
How much time depends on where you are in your development right now.
But God wants you to have it as soon as possible.
So he sends you people and experiences to help you grow.
The better you respond to those circumstances,
The sooner you will be able to receive from him and use that desire of yours to its full and proper capacity.
Number three,
God is asking you to listen to him.
As you walk with God,
You are going to make choices that seem to go against whatever is popular in the world right now.
There are a million ways for you to get what you want,
And everyone is offering the fastest,
Easiest way possible.
You will be tempted to ask God why he's taking you the long way around.
You'll be tempted to step away from God to take the shortcut that looks like a faster route.
Know that God has a full view of your path.
Listen to his direction.
The reason why he's not letting you take that shortcut is because he sees the huge cliff just beyond the curve in the road that you want to speed down.
Number four,
God is asking you to be like him.
Committing to God will involve a change in your perspective.
You will no longer have the luxury of choosing who to love and hate,
Though it is an absolutely delicious experience to withhold your love from some and give it wholehearted.
To others,
God will ask you to love equally and unconditionally.
God will ask you to see from a perspective of abundance,
Which perpetuates love rather than from a perspective of lack,
Which perpetuates competition.
Number five,
God is asking you to be consistent.
Is it really a commitment if you only follow through once for five minutes?
You have to be invested with him daily.
At first,
Your investment may be ritual prayers and an occasional peek at a religious text.
Soon,
You will come to access God regularly through personal prayers,
Regular study,
A change in perspective,
All to help you remain consistent.
At first,
The consistency will seem like a chore,
But as you grow,
You will seek out ways to keep your consistency.
You will start to cut away anything,
Old habits and even old people that will prevent you from being consistent.
You will make your consistency with God a priority as you are relying on your relationship with him to bring you your desires.
Number six,
God is asking you to be unreasonable.
The world presents many reasonable ways to get something accomplished in life.
You want a career?
Go to college.
You want money?
Pick a field that pays well.
God is going to ask you to be quote unquote unreasonable in that he will invite you to value something beyond money,
Status and power.
God will ask you to value unconditional love and righteousness where the world says,
Choose your network and do what's right for you in the moment.
He will ask you to cooperate with your fellow human because uplifting your fellow human is uplifting yourself where the world will say it is reasonable to compete with your fellow human in order to uplift yourself.
God will ask you to find your abundance in giving outwardly when the world teaches us that abundance is found in hoarding everything.
You will not be able to explain this reasoning to others.
Fortunately,
You won't have to,
But your unreasonable ways will be noticed.
They will notice that you work humbly and diligently while others are trying to impress the boss.
They will notice you talking with the person who is shy and awkward rather than sharing mean jokes behind that person's back.
In your unreasonableness,
You will be tempted to doubt yourself.
Why do you have to be so different,
So peculiar?
You have to choose to shut down that internal and external doubt and go with God.
It may not make sense to others while you're doing what you're doing.
In truth,
You may not be able to articulate it to yourself.
It will just be an inner knowing that this is the right direction and it is God inspired.
Number seven,
God is asking you to remain changed.
Understand that the commitment is not just about the fruit you're going to get.
As you walk this path,
You will grow and mature.
I don't mean chronologically.
I mean the small raw kernels of godly traits and characteristics within you will begin to blossom and integrate into the fiber of your being.
This process will change you.
It will take you out of your comfort zone.
The old you will fall away.
You will experience small successes along the way that are meant to encourage you that you are on the right path.
In reaching this state of change,
Remember two things.
One,
The reason you are making progress is because of your change.
Going back to the old you will undo everything.
And two,
Your personal definition of full fruition is not God's definition of full fruition.
Yes,
You will reach that point of success that you envisioned,
But God will take you so much more beyond that.
You will shed several skins along the way as you grow and expand in God.
Embrace who you are becoming,
Knowing that you are a reflection of God's best.
For the type of commitment that God requires,
Know that this is not something he forces on anyone.
You have to choose it,
And you have to choose it wholeheartedly.
You will never be steered wrong in your commitment to God.
He loves you,
And he loves how he made you.
And he wants you to experience the life he outlined for you at the very beginning.
Thank you for listening.
