Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ the committed Son of God and Saviour of the World.
Thus far for the month of October I have shared with you on the International Day of Older Persons by the U.N., Ministries Month celebrated by the Methodist Church, Mental Health Month and Financial Literacy Month by St Kitts -Nevis. My focus today is ‘Commitment’.
When God calls us from the world of sin to serve in his church and to reach the world for him he expects us to be committed Christians. Someone seeking to give the true meaning of commitment said,
“Making a commitment involves dedicating yourself to something, like a person or a cause.” The person further advised, “Before you make a commitment, think carefully. A commitment obligates you to do something. Some commitments are large, like marriage.”
This definition points to the fact that one cannot be truly committed unless they are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices in order to achieve their goal(s). This means we cannot simply be guided by our emotions when it comes to commitment to Christ. Many turn to Christianity thinking that it offers a life of ease and prestige but fail for lack of commitment to Christ.
The Collins Dictionary says, “A commitment is something which regularly takes up some of your time, because of an agreement you have made or because of responsibilities that you have.” This shows that when one commits oneself to a task or to a cause, one must be willing to give to it the time that it requires to accomplish the desired goal. The apostle Paul traveled extensively taking others with him as he dedicated much time to spreading the Gospel. The scriptures record his missionary journeys. He also suffered much as he showed his determination to reach the Gentiles especially, with the gospel.
The sufferings of Paul as an apostle, is recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:16-30. Listen to Paul as he speaks of his own experience in verses 23-28,
23 Are they ministers of Christ? I am talking like a madman—I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. 24 Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food,[e] cold and naked. 28 And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.” That is real commitment to the cause of Christ! Are you finding it challenging to live the Christian life? Don’t give up, commit yourself to living for Christ. Be faithful until death. He promises to give you a crown of life (Revelation 2:10)
Love and best wishes to your wonderful family, from my family and myself.
Yours in Christ
Tyrone Hunkins, Rev.