Commitment....

 On the page about Salvation we said that when God forgives us we are born into the New Life in His Holy Spirit who helps us live for Him.

That simple phrase: .....who helps us live for Him, actually embraces some very significant meaning. The Apostle Paul put it like this: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 NLT

That’s to say, being a Christian is not only confessing our sin and asking forgiveness. It is not only being baptised or becoming a church member or any other one off act.

Being a Christian involves keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. That is, the Holy Spirit helps us in the way Jesus Christ wants us to live. His gives us spiritual gifts which enable us to live a holy life of service.

The New Life involves our daily commitment of ourselves to Christ. This is a yielding, a conceding, a surrendering of self and one’s own wishes and desires in order to find and to follow the will and purpose of Jesus.

Generally this requires Christians to spend time in daily prayer and Bible reading in order to learn what God wants for their lives each day and on into the future. So it costs time, effort, devotion, energy and sacrifice.

Perhaps Paul, again, gives us one of the best descriptions of commitment. He wrote: .....I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice..... When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is. Romans 12:1-2 NLT

He is saying that commitment is a matter of body, mind and spirit. Or, as Jesus put it: .....you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Mark 12:30 NLT

An American song writer wrote about commitment in these words:

 All to Jesus, I surrender;             :           I will ever love and trust Him,

 All to Him I freely give;              :           In His presence daily live.