Joshua 1:16 NKJV
So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
All humans have a superpower and it is called commitment. To be committed means that you are focused, determined, disciplined, with a plan that you follow through no matter the challenges or opposition.
The truth is that many of us live below that which is possible, that which God desires for us, simply because we are not committed, and we prefer the easy way out.
This was true of the children of Israel as well. Though they crossed the Jordan and went in to take the land, their relationship with God always went through the same cycle. They began with commitment and, just as God had promised, he would bless them. They would then get comfortable in the blessing and forget the God who blessed them, sin and disobedience would thrive in their midst, and they would drift off to worship idols. God would then send them into captivity and their enemies would defeat and capture them. The people would then remember their sin and run back to God in repentance and because God is a merciful God he would hear them forgive them and bless them and the cycle would start once again.
Is that not the same cycle we go through today as well because of lack of commitment?
At times we blame God, while the truth of the matter is that we were not committed to his word and bailed out as soon as we experienced a little trouble.
Think about Paul, he was committed to what God called him to do, and that is to take the gospel to the Gentile nations. Despite all the hardships he went through, things that would easily discourage many of us today making us to abandon the mission, Paul stayed on course. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28)
When his end was drawing near, he was able to look back with confidence and declare that he had fought the good fight, and he had run his race and kept the faith. He was confident because he was committed
To be committed means you take responsibility, it means you have clarity on your “why” and you are ready to put your all into it, no matter what challenges you face. There is no plan B
The reality is that our commitments will be tested just as Job’s commitment to God was tested. The question is, will we honor our commitments only when things favor us, or will we stay committed even when it gets uncomfortable and even painful to us?
Reflections
What is one non-negotiable thing you are committed to?
Which is harder for you, starting or staying committed? Why?
What’s your plan to stay committed to God in 2023?
