Commitment

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2 NIV).

Paul instructs the followers of Christ to, "offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God..." I once heard a preacher say that the problem with living sacrifices is that we keep crawling off of the altar. And that is so true. Many times we want to be involved with Christ (for the benefits He offers), but we really don't want to be committed. The reality is that with God, it's all about commitment...commitment to the Lord, commitment to the family He has blessed us with, commitment to His church, and a commitment to our neighbor. I am writing this in the morning at about the time when most people normally eat breakfast, so let me use an example that all of us can identify with. The difference between "involvement" and "commitment" is like having a breakfast of eggs and ham: the chicken was "involved" but the pig was "committed." The truth is that Jesus is committed to each of us, and He demonstrated this commitment through His life, death on the cross, and His resurrection.

One of the most practical helps for raising our level of commitment to the Lord is by simply following the directions of verse 2. Paul says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is..." God wants more than our weak and occasional involvement. He wants us to know and be committed to the proper path for our lives. And by committing our time, our thoughts, our resources, our lives to the pure and right things of God, He will strengthen our commitment to Him and allow us to see clearly "...His good, pleasing, and perfect will" for our lives.