"Commitment" - Jeremiah 33:3 - This is an excerpt from my book, "What's in Your Tool Box"?
The word “commitment” refers to a state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, a person, or an activity. Therefore, committing your efforts to a focused life of prayer, while stepping out on the foundation of faith is a winning combination. When you respond to God, your tool of commitment will help you face the attacks of your critics and doubters. Commitment, today, is a rare tool, however, it is the beginning of all positive goals.
Commitment, biblically requires that there is an acknowledgement of a Person. Therefore, in order to commit to God, you must be have a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. When this is done in faith, there is fellowship with Him, and new passion we cannot see.
A good example of this is the Chinese Bamboo Tree. Before you can climb a bamboo tree, you must first commit to growing one. There is indeed a plant called the Chinese Bamboo Tree. It is unique, and it teaches us an important lesson on commitment.
The Chinese Bamboo Tree starts from a tiny seed that is placed in the hand of the grower. The grower is given instructions on how to achieve growth
- The grower plants the seed,
- The grower waters the seed,
- The grower must fertilize and protect the seed.
The first year, you water the seed and nothing seems to happen. So the second year you water, fertilize, and protect the seed. Nothing happens. The third year you water, fertilize, and protect the seed and nothing happens. The fourth year you water, fertilize, and protect the seed. Nothing happens. The fifth year you water, fertilize, and protect the seed.
Sometime during the fifth year, the Chinese Bamboo Tree begins to grow. It grows to eighty feet in height in just six weeks! Yes, that’s right, ninety feet in six weeks! Now, did it grow ninety feet in six weeks or five years? The answer is simple. It grew eighty feet in five years. So here we have your life and a simple “tree” story to grow by.
If during the course of five years someone would have given up on the Chinese Bamboo Tree,
- If someone would have stopped watering,
- If someone would have stopped fertilizing,
- If someone would have stopped protecting,
There would be no Chinese Bamboo Tree. The total outcome is due to commitment.
Commitment is a tool of great value in the hands of a believer. It is that particular tool in your personal tool box that is like none other. So stay focused on your place and space because only you can fulfill your position of expectancy.
- Sometimes you do not see any growth.
- Sometimes you are not sure the work is worth it.
- Sometimes you feel like giving up.
- Sometimes you just do not have the patience it takes.
But at all times, keep your eyes opened to your purpose of growth and your space of commitment that God has designed for you. He said, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” – Jeremiah 33:3.
Commitment requires an ongoing passion for pleasing God. No matter what the fad or fashion might be, absolutely nothing can fill the void God created in our lives for Him. Our commitment must include the basic tools needed for a full and refreshed life in the Lord.
Commitment is following Jesus. Commitment demands that we make a definite choice. We are called to look into our tool box and use the “tool” of commitment to accomplish our purpose. When the weight of the world becomes a problem in your life, your focus must remain on God, instead of the winds of adversity, to sail your ship. He will see you through all of your circumstances and any situation confronting you.
So, "what is that in your hand"? God has placed in your hand a “toolbox” that contains the most potent arsenal known to mankind. You have this precious tool of commitment right before your eyes in your "tool box".
It might take years, but if you are persistent enough, you might have “overnight success” that others will see. But in your heart, you know the results came from doing the right things over a long period of time. Just remember that no goal is too small and no dream is too big or impossible for you to tap into when you trust God for the path that leads to your success.
<a href="https://www.dhirubhai.net/pub/plez-lovelady-jr-phd/16/416/288">
<img src="https://static.licdn.com/scds/common/u/img/webpromo/btn_viewmy_160x33.png" width="160" height="33" border="0" alt="View Plez Lovelady, Jr., PhD's profile on LinkedIn">
</a>
Author: Plez Lovelady, Jr., PhD