A Lifelong Commitment

 

Recently our pastor, Chris, was talking about how becoming a Christian, and what it really means.

For years Christians have told non-believers to say the sinners’ prayer and they will be saved.

Although that is true, many people go into Christianity thinking that is all they have to do and that life will be a bed of roses from now on. That is far from the truth.

The Bible says the rain falls on the just and the unjust. God never tells us He will take away all our problems for the rest of our life. We do receive miracles as an answer to prayer, but we don’t get a miracle every time we have a problem.

Sometimes we see the answer immediately, but other times we wait for years for it. What we do know is that whether God fixes the problem and takes it away, or we have to go through it, He is with us all the way.

Life sends many problems our way. On the other hand, we also create many of our own woes. God doesn’t automatically bail us out of every situation. Parents know that one way children learn about life is by fixing their own problems. When a parent fixes everything for their child and makes it all disappear, that child will grow up having no idea how to deal with life.

God, in His wisdom and love, takes care of some problems and walks through other problems with us, depending on what the situation is, and if we are capable of handling it. Many times, we don’t understand why God does the things He does, but in the end His way is always what we really needed.

What people who decide to become Christians need to realize is that Christianity is a lifelong commitment.

Have you ever seen people get a new puppy or kitten and then abandon it because owning a pet was not what they expected. They thought it would be all fun and games. Who knew they would have to feed it every day, take it to the vet and look after it when it got sick or hurt. They never thought about having to clean a litter box or the yard. This was supposed to be all fun and laughs. Wrong. They needed to weigh the cost before taking a pet into their family.

So, if being a pet owner is a lifelong commitment, why would giving your heart to God not require any commitment?

The Bible says, “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” It does not say we have to endure to the end of the sinners’ prayer. That is only the beginning.

We will gain new friends when we become Christians, but we will also lose some old friends. We will get pats on the back, as well as slaps in the face.

When I was not serving God I made a special friendship with a lady I just loved. We became instant best friends and were together several days every week. Then she moved to Florida and I moved back home to California to be with my family and childhood friends again.

My friend Linda and I kept in touch on Facebook all the time. When I came back to California I got right with God again and have served Him ever since. I made the lifelong commitment.

One day I posted something on FB that expressed my beliefs and got an immediate response from Linda. She said my beliefs were obnoxious and extreme. She told me she used to like me, but to unfriend her. That really hurt me but I felt like God told me to be gracious, so I told her I still loved her and was sorry she felt that way, but if she wanted me to unfriend her, I would. She never responded so two weeks later I unfriended her as she had asked.

That was painful to me, but I knew I had to stay true to God. To this day I am still praying for her. God still wants to save her no matter how much she hates Him.

Back when Jesus was here on earth He had His disciples who walked with Him. All but one of them made a full commitment, and most of them ended up paying for it with their life. We know what happened with Judas, the only one who did not make that commitment.  He sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, and ended up hanging himself.

In the world we live in now, most of us will not have to pay for our Christianity with our lives, but in some countries they still do, and someday it will probably come to that here also.

More than once I have told God that if I ever have to give my life for Him it would be very scary, but if it ever comes to that here in America I need Him to help me stay strong and never give in. After all, Jesus made the full commitment to us.

So, when you tell a person about God and invite them to give their heart to God, don’t make it sound like a bed of roses. They need to know that giving their heart to God also means giving their life to Him. Serving God includes enjoying exciting things, and enduring painful times. But they also need to know that the good far outweighs the difficult. What they will gain is so much better than what they will give up.

Making the commitment to God means we will get to enjoy the commitment He has made to us, which is eternity in heaven with Him.

Think about it.

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