Sunday Open Heavens Devotional - Commitment

Commitment - 16 November 2014

MEMORISE: For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45. Continue...

READ: JOHN 9:3-6

3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 CHRONICLES 7-9 and PROVERBS 27:1-14

MESSAGE

The Master Himself is our example in commitment. He told us that He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He demonstrated this by the way He lived. He lived serving and ultimately served us by giving His life for us. Furthermore, He was also serving His Father and was committed to doing the will of His Father. When He was about leaving the earth, He said this to us: as my Father have sent me, so send I thee (John 20:21). How committed are you to Jesus and to His will?

Many people, perhaps including you, are not in any way participating in the vast activities and work of the kingdom. Many attend church regularly, but they do not commit themselves to service. They are mere bench-warmers, only consuming without giving out, No wonder they don’t experience new dimensions of the Holy Spirit. However, some people view becoming a worker as an avenue for socialising and as a fashionable thing. Such are not really committed. This should not be so! Really, it is of no use coercing anyone to serve God. God Himself will not be pleased with that. He loves a cheerful giver, including cheerfully giving your service to Him. You need personal revelation of what Jesus suffered and went through to redeem you in order to change your outlook. He is the maker of heaven and earth, the One without whom nothing was made that was made (John 1:3). Yet, He passed through the womb of His creature, was born as a baby, grew like every child. He trekked some 100 miles spanning Jerusalem via Samaria to Galilee to and fro regularly. He was slapped, flogged, spat upon, crowned with thorns which pierced the skin on His head and rough edged crude nails were driven through His hands and feet. All these terrible sufferings He endured for no offence He committed but for you and me. What then can be too dear, too great or too precious to us that will stand in the way of our complete commitment to His will and service?

Besides, every service we render cheerfully and willingly is not in vain but is credited to our account for due recompense of reward when it matters (1 Corinthians 15:58). Oh what a good Father we have! Furthermore, you need to realise that time is short. You ought to strive to achieve much for your own good before the time is up. Seize every opportunity to serve, so as to be in a position to get great rewards.

ACTION POINT: Evaluate the level of your commitment to God’s service and make necessary adjustments.