Have you ever determined in your mind, it's time, I am going to start working out and I am going to loose all of this excess weight? I am going to tone up and feel good and fit into my old clothes. At that time you are truly motivated. So, you join the gym, you buy some workout clothes and you get all of the cool workout stuff. Now it is time to go to the gym and you go and you work out hard, and I do mean hard. You are so dedicated for the first month to 6 weeks but then things start getting busy and you have to miss one day. No big deal, it's just one day right. Another week, a couple of more things come up so you have to miss another couple of days but hey your still on track...your still working out. What's the big deal if you miss a couple of days...it's not like you will have to start all over, it's just a couple of days. A month goes by and soon you're so busy with other things that now you may only go once a week but your still going right. Then six months down the road you turn around and say, "What happened, I used to go to the gym all of the time and now, I haven't been in 5 months."
Does this sound familiar, if you have not done the same thing with the gym there is probably something out there that you have done this with. A lot of people are motivated but are they committed? The difference between the two is what determines whether or not you will still be working out in 6 months or six years. It is the same with our Christian walk. So I ask again, are you just motivated or are you committed?
Let's look at another scenario. You are a born again Christian, just saved and you are so on fire for the Lord that you can't stand doing anything else but being in His presence. Every time that the church doors open you have to be there. You want to help out in any area of ministry that you can and witnessing, oh just forget about it; you are off the chart with witnessing. If someone asks why you are smiling and happy, you can't wait to share what God has done for you. At this time though...you're still just motivated. When motivation turns into commitment is when the trials come and when the cares of this life come, but you make a stand. You have a choice, you can say "You know what, this is not worth it and give up" or something a little more subtle "I am just tired I think I will stay home tonight, after all I can catch church on Sunday." Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with taking a day off every once in a while but when that every once in a while becomes a habit and you're staying away more than you're at church then you're no longer committed.
Does this sound familiar, if you have not done the same thing with the gym there is probably something out there that you have done this with. A lot of people are motivated but are they committed? The difference between the two is what determines whether or not you will still be working out in 6 months or six years. It is the same with our Christian walk. So I ask again, are you just motivated or are you committed?
Let's look at another scenario. You are a born again Christian, just saved and you are so on fire for the Lord that you can't stand doing anything else but being in His presence. Every time that the church doors open you have to be there. You want to help out in any area of ministry that you can and witnessing, oh just forget about it; you are off the chart with witnessing. If someone asks why you are smiling and happy, you can't wait to share what God has done for you. At this time though...you're still just motivated. When motivation turns into commitment is when the trials come and when the cares of this life come, but you make a stand. You have a choice, you can say "You know what, this is not worth it and give up" or something a little more subtle "I am just tired I think I will stay home tonight, after all I can catch church on Sunday." Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with taking a day off every once in a while but when that every once in a while becomes a habit and you're staying away more than you're at church then you're no longer committed.
We can even take another turn and move away from the church topic. Let's go into the relationship mode. Are we so busy in our everyday lives that before long we have pushed God off to the side so much that He is no longer the center of our lives; we are no longer spending the time with Him that we once were? I think that everyone at some time or another has done this, but where the commitment issue comes in is where you realize it and do something about it. If you are married at some point you may realize that you are not communicating as much as you used to with your spouse. Maybe the daily grind has gotten in the way of your alone time together. Once you see this happening then the next step should be to plan a date night or a weekend away so that you can get back to the basics, the thing that drew you to each other in the first place, the fellowship. The flip side of this is that you know if you do not get some time alone the relationship will continue to deteriorate to the point that there will no longer be a relationship. Our relationship with God is very much like our relationship with our spouse.
If you find yourself in the same situation with your relationship with God today, it's not too late. Determine that you are going to be committed to this relationship and make a date with God. Start now by setting time aside to spend with Him in prayer. I want you to remember that praying is nothing more than talking to God, just like you would talk to a friend our spouse. Talk to Him; tell Him what you are going through. Yes, God already knows but He wants you to turn to Him and cast all your care upon Him. Then be still and listen and see what He wants to say to you. Take time to read each day...even if it is just one verse. Putting God first makes everything else fall into place.
Be committed and run the race, endure to the end and get your prize, the prize is God.
