Commitment...

Whether you've ever been married or not, chances are you've been to a wedding or two in your lifetime. As I was asking God for these words today He brought me to the wedding ceremony and marriage, and was comparing it to our relationship with Him. I was thinking about how never once have I been to a wedding where I witnessed a man and woman standing before a minister and witnesses getting a list of rules about marriage read off to them, like "now you can't cheat on her, or hit her, or do things behind her back". Or never once heard vows like "I'm going to try really hard at this or that, BUT I'll probably fail you every day and you'll just have to forgive me". If we walked into a marriage with the attitude of "I'm going to try not to cheat on you...or disrespect you...or do things on a daily basis that I KNOW will hurt you...but I'll probably do them anyway", then that marriage probably wouldn't last through the first month. So we don't do that, instead we stand before one anther and out of nothing but pure love tell each other that we will commit, we will cherish them, honor them, protect their heart and be 100% loyal to them. Then when we walk those things out we have a beautiful long lasting relationship.

It is because of the commitment of marriage that our relationship with Jesus is compared to a marriage in the bible. So why is it that we can commit like this to another human because we love them and they love us, but we struggle with our commitment to Christ? Our relationship with Jesus is just like vows. When we come to Him He says "I love you, I died for you, I'll always be here for you and I will protect you"...and never once does He break His vows to us. However, we says our vows back to Him and as we begin to walk that out we begin to approach it like "I'll do all these things....until a day comes along and I'm tempted, or mad, or struggling...or just not feeling it that day". And then we come back to Him again and again expecting His grace and mercy to cover us. And even though we know it DOES and it WILL....it cannot be an excuse to just keep messing up. I say it that bluntly because there was a day that His grace and mercy was my excuse for not trying harder. But thank God He has brought me out of that way of thinking. Yet time and time again I meet Christians who say those famous words "He doesn't expect us to be perfect". The ONLY reason He doesn't "expect" us to BE perfect is because IF we could be then what Jesus did (walk a life of perfection) would not be significant. But we read all through the bible that Christ IS our example and Christ was perfect. So doesn't that mean we are to strive....try....do our absolute best... to mimic our example (Jesus). Not out of our own works, but because we rely completely on God to do a work in us that keeps sin out of our life as much as possible while we still live in this world? That is what I get when I read Matthew 5:48..."Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect". It is almost like God is saying..."don't ever stop trying. I'm not concerned that you will never get it 100%, I am concerned that you will stop trying". 

It is out of selfishness that marriages fail every day. Because one person (or both) did not want to walk out the commitment they stood before their spouse and promised. It is also why people leave the church and walk away from God. Not because they couldn't commit to God and strive to live a pure life, but they just didn't want to walk out the vow that they promised before Jesus the day they entered into a "marriage" with Him. Point blank...we just don't want to commit! 

God, help us to see the sin we voluntarily invite into our lives every day. Holy Spirit convict our hearts when we walk through life not living out the commitment we promised You. Help us to know that in order to grow in You, we have to continually walk closer to You and TRY to walk in the perfection that Christ did....not in our own doing, but because we live in Him now and we can do ALL things through Him when we walk in His strength. Thank you God for Your amazing grace and mercy that covers us when we stumble and fall....but please help us not use that as a crutch to live in our flesh day in and day out. In Jesus name, Amen!