Berry Chapel Baptist Church

Commitment

By Pastor Steve Williams

Mitchell County

Howdy Folks,

Commitment, where has it gone? It looks like in the day we are living, commitment is a thing of the past. People used to be committed  To God, To the church, To their husband or wife, and To their friends and family. But that is no longer true. All it takes in this day and time is to let a little hiccup, or setback come by and it’s over.  What has amazed me as a pastor in the last twenty three years of preaching is how many people I have seen start their walk with Christ only to turn back and return to their old life. I asked myself why is that? As I studied over that question, God begin to speak to my heart. He said, Steve do you not remember how you use to play with your relationship with Me. He reminded me how close I would get to Him and then how quick I would be fall away. He also showed me how my commitment to Him was like a thermometer, up and down, rather than the continual relationship He desired to have. He showed me that commitment has a price. The price is not cheap, and the payment is not easy. God showed me that the problem I had when I first started my journey with Him was that I failed to “Burn the ship.” What are you saying? I don’t understand. You have to forget the things that are in your life, that keeps pulling you back from being committed to God. I’m not saying it’s wrong to have hobbies and do things, but when they become more important that your relationship with God you have to make some important choices.

The Bible says in Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul is talking about his relationship with God. If Christians would just work on this one thing and that is their relationship with God. The rest of the things that will come along in our lives God will help us deal with, and even have victory over. See– commitment is extremely important in our Christion relationship.

I believe if you look back into history the Vikings can show us what truly being committed is. When they would raid countries, they would burn their ships on the shore. The theory behind this is thought to be threefold. First, it would strike fear and panic in the hearts of their opponent. Second, the burning ship was a strong signal to the enemy that the Vikings were serious and committed. Given that they had destroyed their only way home, the enemy must have taken that a sure sign that this was going to be an extremely tough battle. Third, it was a signal to the Vikings themselves. The burning of their ship clearly made the point that the only possible way home was to win the battle. It reinforced their own level of commitment. See what happens when we fail to burn our ships, it makes it easy for us to return to them and sail off again. In my walk with God I have had to burn a lot of ships in my life. I had to let go of a lot of things that had a hold on me. But the moment that I started burning ships my commitment to God became stronger. When you get saved it is going to be a constant battle to be committed to God. The reason I say that is, I still find myself having to burn other ships along the way, so that I can remain committed in my walk with God. If you don’t believe that being committed to God is a battle, just look at how easy it is for people to turn their back on their commitment to God and just walk off.

                                                                                                                   Pastor Steve Williams

Words of Wisdom

• The difference between commitment and involvement, is like Ham and eggs, The chicken is involved; it lays an egg, the pig is committed, he gives his life. N/A
• The true heart of a Christian is someone who is committed to God and His Kingdom. N/A
• You can be committed to Church but not committed to Christ, but you cannot be committed to Christ and not be committed to church. N/A
• One has to be fully committed to one’s faith. Otherwise, there’s no point. N/A

                                                                          Are You Committed?            

                                                                  What Would You Have Done?

The two thousand member church was filled to overflowing capacity one Sunday morning. The preacher was ready to start the sermon when two men, dressed in long black coats and black hats entered thru the rear of the church.
One of the two men walked to the middle of the church while the other stayed at the back of the church. They both then reached under their coats and withdrew automatic weapons.
The one in the middle announced, “Everyone willing to take a bullet for Jesus stay in your seats!”
Naturally, the pews emptied, followed by the choir. The deacons ran out the door, followed by the choir director and the assistant pastor.
After a few moments, there were about twenty people left sitting in the church. The preacher was holding steady in the pulpit.
The men put their weapons away and said, gently, to the preacher, “All right, pastor, the hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service.”