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Written by Ayane Nayara, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in João Pessoa, Brazil
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. (Ps 10:14 NIV)
When we have a relationship with God, we can enjoy many of His characteristics; we get a taste of what He is. We taste His love, His faithfulness, His kindness, His mercy, His grace, His generosity, among other attributes of our God, including His commitment.
To better understand this attribute, let’s think about its meaning. Commitment is an obligation assumed by one or more parties. It is an agreement or pact made by someone with another being or with themselves.
God as our Creator and Father is committed to us. Since the creation of man, He has made promises and covenants with humanity and His people. He planned every part of our journey and He committed to fulfilling it. Unfortunately, these covenants were broken, not by God, but by man. When a covenant is broken, both parties no longer have the obligation or commitment to fulfill what was agreed. However, what we do does not change who God is.
God takes on a responsibility with us. Like a true father, He knows our needs and despite our faults, He is committed to keeping His covenant. At all times, He seeks to teach us, make us grow, and bring us back to His path.
In Jeremiah 29, part of His people was exiled in Babylon. It was a difficult time for them. Israel had failed God; they once again broke the covenant with the Father and were suffering the consequences. However, the Lord remembered them and made this clear when He sent them a letter through the prophet Jeremiah, asking them to remain firm, not to listen to false prophets, to multiply, and stay alive.
In verse 11 He says, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” All along, the Lord has been committed to helping, loving, and rescuing His people.
In the Old Testament, He made a covenant with one people, while still blessing others. From humanity: broken alliances, broken promises, betrayal in worship, among other failures; from God: fidelity and commitment.
In the New Testament, He makes a covenant not only with one people but with all those who are open to His will. He gave us His Son so that through Him we could draw closer, and He left us His Spirit as proof of the commitment He has made to take us to our heavenly home. From humanity: the same situation as in the Old Testament; from God: He remains committed. Unlike before, we now have His grace that allows us to get closer to our Father. Even so, in response to His unconditional commitment, He asks us to commit. We need to seek and strive to bring who we are to who the Father is. He does not force us to enjoy who He is, but He is available when we seek Him.
We must always remember that no matter what we do, God remains committed to us as long as we repent and return to Him.
Remember: God is a Father committed to helping, loving, and rescuing us.
He loves us, allowing us to learn from the consequences of our mistakes. He helps us, revealing our sin, guiding us where to walk and what our attitude should be to grow. And He rescues us, reminding us of our covenant with Him and fulfilling His promises.
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.” (Jer 29:12-14a)
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Written by Naijuvelin Diaz, volunteer for Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Venezuela
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Lk 14:25-33 NIV)
Understanding the meaning of the word committed is important. Close in meaning to words such as difficult and exposed, it is an adjective that implies risk, difficulty, or danger.
Many times, in interpersonal relationships, expressions such as "I commit to" in response to a job application, a study option, a competition, or a relationship are intended to include all the given conditions so that you can succeed. It is not easy to commit to accomplishing everything—even more so if you are unaware of certain situations that will arise.
However, Jesus teaches us to consider beforehand the cost and the risk of following Him and committing to Him. Jesus denied himself to prioritize us; He also requires us to deny ourselves in any situation or comfort to prioritize Him.
True commitment requires responsibility and faithfulness.
For example, the cost of infidelity without calculating the magnitude of the distress it could generate on a spiritual, mental, moral, and social level would likely lead to your total collapse and the loss of your communion with God. Underestimating the consequences of a bad decision devoid of commitment results in chaos.
Christ showed His commitment to follow the way of the cross. Focusing on our salvation, He carried that heavy cross, denying Himself, even to death. Showing genuine, faithful commitment to our Lord defines me as a disciple of Him. Giving Him first place refocuses me on the path of salvation by reminding me of the cost of following Him, compared to the cost He paid in committing before God to redeem me.
When you make the commitment to be His disciple, you also acquire eternal life (Jn 15:5-8). James 1:12 motivates us to obtain the crown of life by remaining committed throughout our whole life.
Maintaining a disciplined life of integrity means leaving behind curses, anger, worldly pleasures, or any situation that is natural for the human mind but that goes against the teaching of Jesus.
The rich young ruler presented a question to Jesus about how to obtain eternal life. Jesus asks him to sell everything he owns and give it to the poor. This completely discouraged the young man, who, manifesting an attitude of sadness, left. Material possessions and attachments to material, emotional, and physical goods are obstacles to committing to Christ 100%.
To commit ourselves is to let go of all burdens. If the believer is unwilling to fulfill this condition, they should remember Jesus' words, "Such a person cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:26).
Following Christ and committing 100% to the Great I AM is the best decision, even if it is difficult. "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial" (Jas 1:12a).
I am moved by the descriptive words of the apostle Paul when he expresses that he considers everything as garbage, as loss, in order to gain Christ, affirming that he left everything to follow Him. To assume this faithful commitment was his firm and best decision (Php 3:7).
God gives us the grace to commit ourselves fully to the Great I AM.
Are we really willing to give up possessions, convenience, and comfort to commit 100% to the Great I AM?