The foundation of our ability to carry out all other commitments in life – committing to Staying in the Boat – begins and ends with understanding and doing our best to live out God’s expectations with regard to commitment. His great expectations for staying committed exist as the gold standard for how commitment should exist in our lives. What are those expectations?
Total Commitment
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Mathew 22:37-38)
When it comes to being committed, we first and foremost must commit totally and completely to God. You’re either in or you’re out. There is no in between.
Continual Commitment
Jesus’ words to a crowd of people tell us that commitment to Him is a daily decision.
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)
Once we commit to Christ, there is no going back to our former way of living. This means we will have to say “no” to some good things. Following Jesus is not just a one-time event. It’s an ongoing, daily, moment-by-moment experience.
Faithful Commitment
Committing to Christ in faith means making Him our sole authority, our guiding light, and our unerring compass.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
We may not always understand, but being faithfully committed means we continue on in the way He has set before us.
Obedient Commitment
If anyone remembers much from Apollo 13, they usually remember the famous words of NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz who said:
“Failure is not an option.”
Because they refused to even explore the possibility that the astronauts would not return home safely, they were able to avoid tragedy.
At the dedication of the temple, Solomon praised God for promises kept and for bringing rest to His people, and then He said to the people:
“Your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord your God, to live by His decrees and obey his commands.” (1 Kings 8:61)
Solomon was declaring that full commitment and obedience to God was not an option. If we approach commitment to God in the same way as Kranz did bringing the Apollo 13 astronauts home safely, we will be able to successfully live obedient lives.
In order to stay committed and to keep commitments in any area of life, we must first focus on total, continual, faithful and obedient commitment to God. No other option exists for Staying in the Boat and for finishing strong by reaching the other shore successfully and victoriously.
Other posts in this series:
Staying Committed, Part 1 of 5 – Staying in the Boat
Staying Committed, Part 3 of 5 – Biblical Lessons on Commitment
Staying Committed, Part 4 of 5 – Guidelines for Godly Commitment
Staying Committed, Part 5 of 5 – Benefits of Total Commitment
Loren Pinilis
The concept of continual commitment hit me. We so often think of it as a one-time event, but this perspective is drastically different (and much more realistic!)
Kari Scare
You're right, it is a much more realistic approach. Certainly fits more with how the Bible says we are to grow and progress, I think.
tnealtarver
It's waking up every morning as a husband and saying, acting, and living out, "I'm married." The commitment isn't a day to day sort of thing.
Kari Scare
So right! Making a commitment means realizing it's a lifetime commitment and not one based on how I feel at any given moment or on any given day.
Mark Allman
I think Loren is right and I think we have to confirm that commitment in our hearts daily. We must not let ourselves waver.
I find it interesting that God has said he prefers people be hot or cold. He wants us all in. So contrary to our thinking that doing something is better than nothing it would seem God prefers nothing over someone not totally in.
Kari Scare
I find that a daily re commitment to Him gives me fresh passion and excitement every day too. That is a great feeling, and I don't every want to lose it. Also, God does not want our loyalties to be divided. The Old Testament is filled with stories of divided loyalty and God's anger against it. Of course, He wants us to choose to follow Him, but He also wants it to be full and complete and not divided. He doesn't want us to 'fit" Him into our lives, He wants to BE our lives.
Barb
That's interesting – I didn't remember the daily in the "you shall take up your cross" verse. So true – it has to be done daily.
Kari Scare
I think it's in there because He knows how easily we can stray and that we need daily reminders.
Deb Wolf
Kari, This is sooo good. I had a dear friend who taught me to pray each morning, "Lord, I surrender this day to You. I will follow where You guide, and obey Your will as You reveal it to me. Father, help me this day to fulfill this vow." It's been a wonderful reminder to continual commitment.
Kari Scare
That's a great prayer and a wonderful way to be reminded about commitment.
tnealtarver
So, now you've made a space movie reference at the end of each "Staying Committed" post. I'll be curious to see if you're 3 for 3 with Part 3. By the way, I saw Apollo 13 out in video available at a Russian kiosk before I even knew it was a movie in the theaters in America. Good reference. Great movie.
Kari Scare
Funny! I didn't even realize I did that. Not sure if it will work into the others too, but we'll see!
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Tabitha Meringa
Great stuff! You made several references to "staying in the boat", basically don't give up on your daily commitment to God. But always be looking for the times that God calls us to "get out of the boat" and go to a deeper place WITH him.
Kari Scare
Getting out of the boat for God is definitely another analogy that makes sense. But in this series, we looked at staying in the boat as staying committed to whatever God has for us and to Him. In that sense, we want to stay in the boat, which means staying totally committed to Him.
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